


We Are Forever

by dawseyslife



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Dr Rhodes, Established Relationship, F/M, Firefighters, Firehouse 51, Fluff, Hospitalization, Hurt Matthew Casey, Hurt/Comfort, Natalie Manning - Freeform, Pregnancy, Worried Gabriela Dawson, paramedics, will halstead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2019-11-14 06:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18047072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawseyslife/pseuds/dawseyslife
Summary: When Lieutenant Casey ends up injured in the process of saving a baby's life in a fire, it's only up to fate whether he will make it or not. This causes anxiety to rise through the entire of Firehouse 51, but even more so to Gabriela Dawson who just found out she is pregnant with Matt's baby.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just incase anyone is confused, in this story Gabby has already lost a baby when Casey gets injured in 2x10.

Gabby stood aside with Shay preparing the gurney and grabbing their response bags to assess the victims as they came out. Afterwards she watched as Casey and his assigned group along with Severide and his rushed into the burning building. Gabby knew that they had little time to search and rescue by the look on Chief Boden’s face.

As Truck 81 and Squad 3 came out with victims, both paramedics went straight to work in assessing them. Luckily most of them only had minor smoke inhalation and scratches and bruises from falling debris.

“Casey, Severide, you guys have one minute left to continue searching. Any longer and this building will collapse.” Chief Boden’s voice crackled through their radios. Gabby exhaled deeply and tried to calm her racing heart. She knows Casey always obeys orders but there were times he wouldn’t in order to save someone. And that’s what made Gabby worry every time Chief told them to back out.

“All clear on the third floor, Chief!” Severide said.

“Fourth floor clear too, Chief!” Casey followed.

“Alright, I want everyone out now! The roof could collapse any second.” Chief ordered.

Gabby stood by Chief as they both listened to Herrmann and Casey. It appeared they had found another victim with a baby and the screams for her baby could be heard. They could also hear Casey and Herrmann arguing over who would take the mother and who would take the baby. In the end it had been Herrmann who came out with the mother while Casey stayed back to look for the baby. Both Chief and Gabby let out a breath of relief when they heard cries of a baby come through the radio. 

“Casey, I need an update.”

“Almost there, Chief!”

Gabby bounced nervously on her feet as she waited for him to come out.

“Come on, baby. Come on.” She whispered to herself, her eyes focused on the doorway waiting to see Casey walk out.

All of a sudden sparks spewed up from the roof and a creaking noise sounded before dust flew out of the entry door. Gabby felt her heart begin racing as Chief called a mayday and ordered everyone to go in and help Casey. She felt helpless as she stood there and waited for them to come out.

Moments later, Casey stumbled out of the building and fell to the ground but kept a strong grip on the baby. Gabby rushed forward and grabbed the baby from himand then handed her off to Shay. She took off Casey’s mask and noticed the blood running down his head.

With the help of the others, she laid him on the gurney and put him in the ambulance. Without even asking, Severide immediately jumped in with her. Gabby knew if she told him he could stay back he wouldn’t bother, he would never leave his brother.

As Shay drove towards Chicago Med, Gabby tried to stabilize Matt. His entire body shaking and even with the help of Severide she still struggled with putting the oxygen mask over him.

“Come on, Matt! Not like this!” She cried out as his eyes opened but immediately rolled back. She looked up at Kelly and wasn’t surprised to see that he had tears in his eyes. The man already went through so much and losing his brother would certainly make it worse.

When they arrived at Med all they could do was sit and wait for the doctor to come out and tell them what was going on. It was only a few minutes later before the rest of 51 filled up the seats in the waiting area.

Gabby stood leaning against the wall with her head down and jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and relaxed when she saw it was Shay.

“He’s going to be okay. He’s young and strong and he will fight through this.” She reassured Gabby.

Before she could say anything back, Dr. Halstead walked out through the double doors towards them. Gabby immediately knew something was wrong.

“Casey has an epidural hematoma and is in emergency surgery. This procedure could take some time so it’s best if you guys are patient. But I have hopes he will make it through.”

Gabby didn’t hear the rest of what Dr. Halstead has to say as she rushed through the doors to see Casey. When she got there, she looked through the window to see his eyes getting taped shut and ventilator tubes coming out of his mouth. A sob escaped her as she looked at him. Matt had never looked so small and vulnerable in the entire time she had known him.

“Gabby, you need to go back to the waiting room and let them do their job. I promise he will be okay.” Dr. Halstead said.

She nodded and spared one last glance at Matt before she went back. She silently sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs and stared down at the floor. Shay moved to sit next to her and rubbed her back to calm her. Nobody said anything for awhile and Cruz was the first one to break the silence.

“Hey, Dawson, you okay? You’re looking a little pale.” Cruz asked.

Gabby looked up at him and immediately regretted when she felt a wave of nausea roll through. She groaned and instantly brought a hand up to her mouth. Before anyone could say anything she stood up and ran towards the bathroom. Shay followed quickly after.

“Dawson, you alright?” Shay asked and grimaced when she heard Gabby gag and throw up. A few seconds later the toilet flushed and Gabby stepped out to wash her face and rinse her mouth. When she looked up, Shay noticed her eyes were red and watery once again.

“I’m pregnant, Shay. I’m pregnant with Casey’s baby and I haven’t told him. Now I don’t know if he’s going to make it. What if he doesn’t and he dies not knowing he was going to be a father.” Gabby sobbed.

Shay wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug and let her cry a bit before pulling away. “You need to calm down and think positive thoughts. You and I both know that being in this much distress could harm the baby. Casey is going to make it and you will get the chance to tell him. And I bet you he will be the happiest man in the world.”

Gabby nodded and smiled gratefully at Shay. She was glad to have someone in her life who she could talk to and lean on whenever she was going through a rough time.

“Come on, let’s go back outside before we have all the firefighters break down the door to see if you’re okay.” Shay said as she opened the door for her.

Gabby chuckled and walked out back to the waiting room. There she was met with many worried looks and she smiled reassuringly at them.

“I’m okay guys. Don’t worry.”

“The hell you are,” Herrmann spoke up, “You don’t just suddenly go pale and run off to the bathroom after sitting down and be okay.”

Biting her lip, Gabby looked around at her fellow workers and friends who were expecting an explanation from her. She knew there wasn’t a way to get out of saying it.

“I’m pregnant.”

Silence followed after and seconds later Gabby was swarmed by everyone on Truck 81 as well as Severide and Chief Boden. She couldn’t help the smile and tears of joy knowing this excited everyone and that they were happy for her and well, for Casey too.

“It’s about time. I’ve been waiting for this announcement since you guys got together.” Mouch said.

Chief placed his hand on Gabby’s shoulder and smiled at her. “How long have you been keeping this a secret? You know I don’t like secrets in my house especially if it’s something this exciting.”

Gabby laughed. “Sorry, Chief. I just wanted to make sure everything was fine with the baby before making an announcement. I’ve known for five weeks now but i’m ten weeks along.”

“Is there a reason you waited so long?” Chief asked.

Gabby sighed and swallowed roughly. “I wanted to make sure everything was okay. I didn’t want to make a huge announcement like last time and end up losing the baby. But the doctors have said everything looks normal and now that i’ve reached the end of my first trimester the risk of miscarriage is lower.”

“This time will be different, Dawson, I promise. Does Casey know?”

“No, I found out when we were going through a rough patch and it was just constant fighting and I wasn’t sure if that was going to be the end of us. We finally talked things out and I was going to tell him but then this happened. Chief, what am I going to do if he doesn’t make it?”

“You need to start believing he will, Gabby, and even if he doesn’t, you will have everyone at 51 ready to help you get through this. You’d have to be a fool if you think we’d leave you on your own to raise this baby.”

Gabby smiled with tears in her eyes and gave Chief a hug. Then she sat down in one of the chairs and rested her head against the wall. While they waited, Cruz and Otis left to go get some food, Herrmann and Mouch called their wifes to let them known what was going on. Only Chief Boden, Gabby, Severide and Shay were left in the waiting room. None of them wanted to leave incase a doctor came with some news.

Finally an hour and a half later, Dr. Rhodes walked through the double doors and came to them. Shay nudged Gabby who still had her eyes closed and jumped out of her seat when she saw him.

“Is he okay?” She immediately asked.

Dr. Rhodes nodded. “The surgery was a success and we expect him to make a full recovery and get back to work. However we don’t know if the hit to the head caused any memory problems but we won’t know until he’s awake.”

Gabby sighed in relief knowing he made it through the surgery. “Can I go see him?”

“Of course, he’s in room 418.” Dr. Rhodes said.


	2. Chapter 2

Gabby all but ran down the hallway and sighed in relief when she finally got to Matt’s room. He was still intubated and had a bandage wrapped around his head as well as some bruising on his face. She walked further into the room and sat down in the chair next to the bed and took Matt’s hand in hers.

“Hey, baby, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I just wanted to tell you to stay strong and fight this. Dr. Rhodes said the surgery went well, but I know head injuries can go south pretty quick.” Gabby squeezed his hand and let out a shaky breath, “I have something to tell you, Matt, so you better wake up so I can tell you. It’s something that I hope you’re going to be happy about. I wasn’t going to tell the others until I told you but I had to because I got sick and they suspected something was wrong. I love you, Matt, please stay strong.” She whispered and leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek.

After Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Halstead checked on Matt later on, Gabby got as comfortable as she could in the chair and fell asleep. It wasn’t until the monitor began beeping frantically and the sound of doctors and nurses rushing into the room that she woke back up again.

“Matt! What’s going on?” She asked Dr. Halstead.

“Gabby, you need to step out please.” April said softly.

“No! Someone tell me what’s going on!”

“Gabby, please.” April said again, her voice a little more stern this time.

Gabby huffed and stepped out of the room, tears running down her face as she watched Matt’s pressure keep dropping. A hand came down on her shoulder and she jumped at the touch.

“It’s just me, Kelly. Everyone else went back to the firehouse but Chief told me to stay. What’s wrong with him?” Kelly asked.

“I don’t know. They won’t tell me.”

Suddenly, the dreaded noise of Matt coding rang through Gabby’s ears and she began sobbing harder. She turned around and buried her head into Kelly’s chest and grabbed onto his shirt tightly.

“Gabby, he’s going to make it. He has to.” Kelly tried comforting her.

“I got a pulse!” April yelled.

Gabby’s head shot up and watched as they began to roll Matt away. “Wait, where are you guys taking him?”

“He’s going back to the OR, he’s bleeding internally and that’s what caused him to crash.” Will explained.

“There’s something you’re not telling us.” Kelly accused.

Will sighed and looked between Gabby and Kelly. “Because we didn’t notice the bleeding before and we don’t know how long he has been bleeding for, there’s a chance he won’t make it. I’m sorry.”

“No! You said he would be okay. You said the only problem he would have would probably be his memories. You said—“ Gabby didn’t get to finish her yelling because the next moment she felt dizzy and fell to the ground as darkness clouded her vision.

“Gabby!” Kelly exclaimed as he caught her before she hit the ground.

“I need a gurney!” Will yelled. A few nurses rushed one over to him and they transferred her into one of the examining rooms. After a thorough examination the only thing wrong was her blood pressure which was too high and was putting her baby at risk. “Have her sedated and monitor her blood pressure.” Will told one of the nurses as he took off his gloves and walked out to Kelly.

“She’s going to be fine once we get her blood pressure back down. The stress from today must’ve gotten to her but as long as we can get it down she and the baby should be okay. We sedated her to let her body rest and will wake up in a few hours.”

“Alright. I’m gonna head back to 51, i’ll be back when my shift ends. Give me a call if anything changes and when Matt’s out of surgery?”

“Will do.” With that Kelly spared one last look at Gabby and headed out to his car and took off to the firehouse.

As soon as he walked into the common room he was surrounded by everyone who immediately began asking him questions about Gabby and Matt’s condition.

“Hey!” Chief yelled and whistled, shutting everyone up.

“Dawson should be fine, her blood pressure was high due to the stress and everything she’s been going through but as long as they can get it back down to normal and keep it there she and the baby should be fine. Matt was taken back into surgery for internal bleeding after he crashed. Will said there’s a chance he might not make it since they don’t know how long he has been bleeding.” Kelly informed them and then left to his office.

Chief looked around at his firefighters and cleared his throat. “I know you guys are scared about losing of your own. But we have to get ourselves sorted because there are people we have yet to save. As much as I would love to give you guys the rest of the shift off I can’t. McLeod is watching our every move and is determined to get this house shut down. And I will not, I repeat, will not lose a firefighter and my firehouse.”

“Chief is right,” Herrmann spoke up, “If we do lose Casey the least we could is keep this firehouse open.”

“I know Casey would be doing everything he could to keep 51 running right now if he wasn’t in the hospital, and that’s what we need to be doing.” Mouch said.

Chief smiled at his fellow firefighters as they agreed with one another. “Alright, Herrmann, you will be acting Lieutenant until Casey is back. And Shay, Rafferty will be filling in Dawson’s spot. Remember, keep your head on straight, we’ve got people to save.”

**Truck** **81,** **Squad** **3,** **Engine** **51,** **Battalion** **25,** **house** **fire,** **854** **Main** **Street**

When they arrive on scene, they could see people rushing out of their homes to try and help the owner who was screaming and crying while pointing back at the house which was engulfed in flames. Truck, Squad and Chief all stepped out of their trucks and walked towards the house.

The woman immediately ran over to them and began screaming. “Help me, please! My daughter she’s in her room! I tried getting her but I couldn’t because of the fire.”

“Where is she?” Kelly asked.

“Upstairs, second door to your right! Please save my little girl!” She begged.

“Is there anyone else in the house?”

The woman shook her head. “No, just her.”

“Alright, Severide, you and your crew go up there and rescue that baby. Mouch and Otis get that aerial up to the second window on the east side incase the exit is blocked. Herrmann and Cruz stand by.” Chief ordered.

“Chief, we got the baby and are on our way out. She’s breathing but it’s a little raspy. I think she inhaled a lot of smoke.” Kelly reported.

Suddenly the building flashed and fire escaped through the windows and everyone ducked down to protect themselves from the flying shards of glass.

“Severide, report!” Chief yelled.

“We’re alright, Chief, but our exit is blocked we need the aerial.”

“The aerial is ready for you, Severide.”

Otis rushed up the ladder to assist them, grabbing the baby and making his way down while Severide helped the rest of his crew get onto it safely. He quickly made his way to Shay and Rafferty and handed the baby over to them.

“She inhaled a lot of smoke but her heartbeat is strong. Let’s put her on oxygen and transfer her to Chicago Med. Mom, you can come with us.” Rafferty said, climbing into the rig and helping Shay with the gurney as well as the mother.

“51, let’s put this fire out.” Chief called out as ambulance 61 drove off.

An hour later the fire had been fully put out and were leaving the scene. By the time they made it back to the house, their shift was over and everyone was in the locker room gathering their things.

As Severide walked out to the apparatus floor his phone began ringing. He took a look at the caller ID and immediately answered when it showed it was Will calling.

“Will?”

“Hey, Kelly, I was calling to tell you that Gabby has woken up and that Matt came out of the surgery just fine. We managed to stop the bleeding, his stats are back to normal and has woken up.”

“Alright, thanks, i’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Wait, Kelly, before you come there’s something I need to tell you. I told Matt about what happened to Gabby and that you would probably stop by later, he didn’t know who you guys were. I thought maybe it was because you guys were the last people he saw but then I told him about his sister and Violet and he didn’t know who they were either.”

“So you’re saying that Casey doesn’t remember any of us? Does he know he’s a firefighter and that he works at 51? Does Dawson know?” Kelly asked.

“No, he saw his gear on the chair and asked if he was a firefighter or if it was someone else’s. I haven’t told Dawson yet, I don’t know how she’s going to react and I think it’s best she has someone here when she finds out. I’m sorry, Kelly, I promise we will do everything we can to get his memory back.”

Kelly hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket and ran his hands down his face. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen next but he knew he and Shay were going to have to be there for Gabby while Matt got his memories back.

“Hey, Severide, we’re all going to Med to check on Dawson and Casey, you coming too?” Herrmann asked.

“Severide, everything alright?” Cruz asked when Kelly didn’t answer.

He turned around to face all of Truck, Squad, Chief Boden and Shay. They all had worried looks on their faces. “Will called to let me know that Dawson is awake now and that Casey made it out of surgery alright and is awake.”

“Well then what’s with the face?” Mouch spoke up, “That’s good news.”

Kelly shook his head. “Casey doesn’t remember us. He doesn’t know that he’s a firefighter and works here at 51. He doesn’t even remember his own sister and niece. Dawson hasn’t been told about this yet.”

“I know this is saddening news,” Chief spoke up after a few minutes of silence, “But Dawson needs all of our support right now. So let’s head down there and be with her.” With that, everyone walked off to their respective cars and drove to Med.


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone on Truck and Squad as well as Chief Boden walked into the emergency room of Chicago Med, immediately filling up the waiting room which originally only had three people. Chief made his way to the front desk where Maggie stood and she sent him a small smile and motioned for him to follow her. They walked for a while before stopping in front of Gabby’s room. 

Chief thanked Maggie and he knocked on the door, causing Gabby to jump and look up at him. She nodded at him and he walked in, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

Gabby sighed. “I’m okay. What happened to me?” She asked, looking at the IV and wires connected to her. The last thing she remember was Will telling her and Kelly that Matt might not make it, she still doesn’t know if he made it or not.

“You’re blood pressure was high due to the stress from today. They managed to get it down so you and the baby aren’t at risk anymore.” Chief explained, not missing the breath of relief Gabby let out. 

Gabby noticed that Chief also hadn’t told her anything about Matt either. She began thinking the reason nobody was telling her anything was because Matt didn’t make it and they didn’t want to tell her yet. Her heart began racing, not wanting to believe that was the reason they weren’t telling her anything.

Boden placed his hand over Gabby’s and squeezed it gently. “Gabby, Matt made it out of surgery just fine, they managed to stop the bleeding and he’s awake now.” He raises his hand to stop her when she moved to get out of the bed. “Dr. Rhodes warned you about Matt having memory problems, Gabby, he doesn’t remember any of us or his family.” 

Hearing those words, Gabby felt her world come crashing down. The man she loves doesn’t know remember her. She’s practically a stranger to him. Was he going to get his memories back or would he have to get to know everyone again? Would he still love her or would he find someone else?” 

“Gabby!” A far away voice yelled, “Gabriella, breathe with me! You need to calm down.” 

She felt herself blink a couple of times before her vision cleared. In her room stood Dr. Rhodes, Dr. Halstead, April, and Chief Boden. They were all looking at her with looks of pity and she hated it. Tears ran down her cheeks and she placed her hand over her still flat stomach. Gabby found herself doing that to calm herself down lately. April sent her a small smile and made her way to stand beside her, reaching out her hand which Gabby gladly took, having another female in the room with her calmed her down a bit. 

“I’m sure Chief Boden has already told you about Matt’s condition.” Dr. Rhodes was the first one to speak, “His internal bleeding was taken care of and he didn’t suffer anymore damage during the time it took to catch the bleeding. His head injury doesn’t seem to be getting worse so we’re hopeful that everything will be fine, however I did tell about possible memory problems and that’s what Dr. Halstead is going to talk to you about.” 

Will cleared his throat and looked at Gabby who didn’t have tears running down her cheeks anymore but her eyes were red and watery. “The trauma to his head did cause him to lose his memories. When he woke up he looked confused and we figured it was normal because most patients wake up confused after a surgery. He asked where he was and what happened which are again normal questions patients ask so I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until he saw his gear asked if he was a firefighter that I realized something was wrong. I asked him about you, Kelly, his sister, his niece, and everyone else at the firehouse and he didn’t recognize anyone. So that’s when I called Kelly to tell him.” 

“Is he going to get his memory back or did he lose it permanently.” Gabby asked, her grip on April’s hand tightening as she feared the answer to her question. 

“We’re not sure about that. We don’t know if with time he will begin to get some of his memory back or not. I believe that he will get them back. Considering that for most of his life he has spent almost everyday with you guys and I know you will continue to keep seeing him, I think having you all close will help him. I want to keep him here for a few more days to monitor his head injury but once he’s released i’d like for him to go home with Gabby.” 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Gabby is pregnant and I don’t want Matt not remembering stressing her out and having her blood pressure rise again.” Boden spoke up, he was worried about Gabby and wanted to make sure she and the baby would be okay. 

“I’ll be okay, Chief.” Gabby reassured. “I promise if it becomes too much for me i’ll call you, Severide or Shay. If this could help Matt I need to do this. I need him to remember, not just for me but for our baby and for everyone at 51. Can I go see him?” 

Will nodded. “Of course. He’s been by himself since he woke up so I think some company will do him good. He’s still in the same room as before.”

With that, everyone except for Boden exited the room. When Gabby made a move to get out a bed, he was at her side in an instant helping her. He led her over to the wheelchair and helped her sit down. They made a pit stop in the waiting room to greet all of her coworkers, each of them giving her a hug and telling her how they were relieved that she and the baby as well as Matt were okay. 

When they took of to Matt’s room, Gabby felt herself become nervous. She was worried how he would react to her. Whether he would be mean towards her because he didn’t remember, what was he going to say to her, would he even want to see her. However, all those thoughts disappeared when Gabby saw him sitting in the hospital bed, bandage still around his head looking like a lost, confused kid. His eyes locked with hers and she felt a little piece of her break when she saw that his eyes didn’t sparkle or hold any recognition at seeing her. 

“Can I come in?” She asked gently. When Matt nodded, Boden rolled her into the room next to his bed and told her he would be outside before leaving the two alone. “You don’t know me do you?” 

Matt shook his head. “No, who are you?” 

“I’m Gabriela Dawson, but please call me Gabby.“ 

“I’m Matt,” He said and then frowned, “But I have a feeling you already knew that.” 

Gabby let out a laugh but quickly recovered and swallowed roughly to try to keep the lump in her throat from growing and the tears from falling. She had hoped that upon seeing her something would trigger in Matt’s mind and he would remember. She was dying to kiss him, to tell him she loved him and about the baby.

“Gabby?” Matt’s voice startled her from her thoughts, she looked over at him and he had a worried expression on his face and was handing her a tissue he had gotten from the table next to him. “Are you okay?” 

She hadn’t realized her tears had actually fallen at some point. Gratefully grabbing the tissue, she wiped her tears and gave him a small smile. “Yeah don’t worry about me, i’m fine. How are you feeling?” 

“I would really like it if I wasn’t feeling so much pain but i’m feeling a lot better than when I first woke up. What about you?” He asked gesturing to her hospital gown, “Why are you here?” 

“Uh, apparently I fainted while I was yelling at doctor. According to Dr. Halstead I fainted because my blood pressure was high.” 

Matt’s eyebrows shot up. “High blood pressure? You don’t strike me as the person who would have high blood pressure, are you sure it isn’t something else.” 

Gabby swallowed and tried hard to not tell him about the baby. “Yeah, i’ve just been dealing with a lot of stress lately, but I should be fine.” 

“Well don’t stress anymore.” Matt said with a serious look on his face. 

“You say that like it’s the easiest thing to do.” 

“Well it is, if you have someone who can help you with the stress you should let them.” He said. 

“I had someone who helped me a lot.” She blurted out. 

Matt frowned. “What do you mean you had someone?” 

Gabby swallowed and smiled nervously. “Uh, nothing. I’m gonna head back to my room i’m feeling a little tired.” Without waiting for Matt to answer, she grabbed onto the wheels of her wheelchair and began to wheel herself out of the room. However, before she could exit, Matt called out for her. 

“Will you come and visit me again?” He asked hopefully. Gabby nodded and proceeded to leave the room. Chief was waiting for her outside and immediately grabbed onto the chair and took her back to her room. She wasn’t surprised when she found Shay sitting inside, her and Boden helped her get on the bed and he left the room to give them some privacy. As soon as he left, Gabby broke down and Shay was instantly pulling her best friend in for a hug. 

“I didn’t think it would hurt this much.” She admitted once she had calmed down. “But walking in there and not seeing the recognition in his eyes, god it hurts Shay. I want to tell him so badly about us and the baby but I can’t. Shay, what if he never remembers me and he finds someone else? I can’t raise this baby without him, I can’t.” 

“Gabriela Dawson.” Shay said sternly, “You need to stop thinking that way and start thinking positively. This is going to hurt the baby if you keep going like this and you know that. The Gabby that I know is stubborn, strong and never gives up, so don’t start now. Casey will remember, and when he you finally tell him about the baby, I know he will be over the moon. Now, get some rest, we’ll come back and visit you tomorrow.” 


	4. Chapter 4

Hushed whispers woke Gabby up the next morning. She let out a groan and the whispers stopped. When she opened her eyes she was met with Antonio and Laura in her room. 

“Hey, baby sis, how are you feeling?” Antonio asked, a concerned look on his face. 

“I’m not a baby, Antonio.” Gabby mumbled. “I’m fine.” 

“You know that’s not what he’s talking about, Gabby.” Laura spoke up. 

Gabby sighed and felt a tear escape her eye and roll down her cheek. “I don’t know how to feel. I went to visit him yesterday and I just couldn’t. A day ago he knew who I was and then I walk in there and he doesn’t know who I am. Dr. Halstead said it would be best if Matt came home with me.” 

Antonio frowned. “It would be best? If anything this is going to hurt you more. Why doesn’t he move in with Kelly?” 

“Because the past months he spent most of his time with me and living in our apartment together. Dr. Halstead believes if we keep him around people he spends a lot of time with and around places he knows best that it could help him remember. I think the hardest part is gonna be having to hide everything in our apartment that shows we’re together.”

“Why would you need to do that?” Laura asked. 

“He doesn’t know me, Laura. He doesn’t know who I am. If he doesn’t get his memories back, there’s no telling if he’s going to fall in love with me again. And if he sees those pictures and everything else he’s going to feel forced to be with me and I don’t want that.” 

Laura reached over and grabbed Gabby’s hand. “Gabby, I know Matt is going to get his memories and I know that until then, that man is going to fall head over heels for you all over again. The love that exists between you two doesn’t just disappear.“ 

“Laura’s right,” Antonio said, “You know I get very protective over you. Especially when it comes who you date. When I realized you had feelings for him and then you told me that he was taken I was worried. I was worried you would get your heart broken and would put those walls of yours up again. Later on I realized that Matt actually had feelings for you while in a relationship and I just hoped he could get his feeling sorted out without hurting you. When you two finally got together I knew he was the one for you. He looks at you the way dad looks at mom, ever since you were a little girl you said you wanted a love like that. You have it Gabs, this is just another obstacle being thrown at you two and you both will make it through this and come out stronger.” 

“Thanks, Tonio. You too, Laura. I don’t know what I would do if it was just Matt and I. Um, also I wanted give you guys some news,” She placed a hand on her stomach and smiled. “I’m pregnant.”

A smile grew on Antonio’s face and tears flooded his eyes as he pulled his sister into a hug the best way he could while she was in the bed. “Are you serious? I’m going to be an uncle finally!” 

“Congratulations, Gabby! I’m so happy for you two.” Laura said, also pulling her in for a hug. 

“Does Matt know?” Antonio asked and felt his heart break for his little sister when the smile on her face fell. 

“I was going to tell him, but like you know these past weeks were tough and was just constant arguing. I told Chief I wasn’t sure if all that was going to end with a break up and I didn’t tell him because then he would just be with me because of the baby. We finally talked everything out and just when I was going to tell him this happens.” She explained, tears once again making their way down her cheeks. 

“He’s gonna remember, Gabs and you will have the chance to tell him. He’s going to be over the moon when you do.” Antonio reassured. 

“That’s what Shay told me.” Gabby smiled and pushed the blankets off her and sat up. “I told him I would visit him so I think i’m going to head there.” Gabby stated as she got up from the bed, shaking her head when Antonio asked if she needed help getting there. When she got there she saw that all of his things were still there but the bed was empty and began to panic. Quickly she made her way back out and found April. 

“April! Where’s Matt?”

“He was taken for a CT scan to see how his head injury is progressing. They should be back with him shortly, you can wait for him in his room if you want.” April explained before making her way to Maggie who was calling her. 

Gabby let out a breath of relief and walked back into the room and instead of taking a seat she went to where his turnout gear was and grabbed his jacket. She ran her fingers over the burn marks on it and was glad that Matt was lucky enough to not have suffered any burns. She dipped her hands into the pockets to make sure nothing was left in there and frowned when she came in contact with a piece of paper. Taking out the paper and unfolding it, a watery smile broke out on Gabby’s face when she realized it was one of the notes she would write to him once in a while and slip into his bag. She never knew he put them in his jacket. The note had a simple ‘I love you’ written on it. 

“You came back.” Matt’s voice startled her, she shoved the note in her own pocket and quickly wiped her tears before turning around to face him. 

“Yeah, I did. How did your scan go?” She asked once he was situated in his bed and she was sitting next to him. 

“Pretty good I think. Doc should be coming in with the results in a few minutes. What about you? You feeling better?” 

“A lot better, I should be getting discharged today.”

A disappointed look crossed his face but a small smile quickly appeared. “Oh, that’s good. I still have another two days before I can go home. You know, one never realizes how great fresh air is until you spend hours stuck in a hospital room.” 

Gabby laughed at his comment. “That’s what everyone says after spending one hour in a hospital room. Looks like you’re a champ since it took you a whole day to say that.” 

“I was unconscious for the most part so I can’t get that much credit. I’m sure I said it somewhere in my subconscious.” Matt responded, a smirk plastered on his face. 

“Whatever you say. Has anyone else came to visit you?” 

“Just you and Kelly. He said everyone else would be stopping by after shift. Can I ask you something?” 

Gabby’s nodded immediately. “Yes, of course.” 

“Why are you and the other guys from the firehouse the only ones who visit me? Surely my parents already know about my accident right? My wife or girlfriend if I have one also should’ve been told too right? Where are they?” 

The question was going to be asked at some point but Gabby didn’t think he would ask this soon. She should’ve known with how observant Matt was that this wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. Her mouth opened and closed a couple times as she tried to come up with an explanation. A knock on the door startled them both and Antonio came into view as the door opened. 

“Hey Gabs, Matt,” He greeted and then stretched out his hand towards Matt which he took and shook. “I‘m Antonio, detective for the 21st district and sadly the brother of this knucklehead.” 

“Watch it, Antonio.” Gabby snipped. 

Matt chuckled. “Nice to meet you. Again, I guess.” 

Antonio redirected his attention toward his sister. “Gabs, Doctor needs you to have your blood pressure checked one last time and then for you to sign your discharge papers.” 

“Okay, i’ll be there in a sec.” 

With that, he left the room and it was just Matt and Gabby left alone again, Gabby desperately prayed that Matt wouldn’t continue the conversation. 

“You should go have your blood pressure checked so you can go home.” Matt suggested, his words almost sounding bitter and cold. 

Gabby knew the reason his mood had suddenly changed was because she had family visiting her while he was alone. Her lower lip quivered and she quickly pressed her lips together to make it stop. She cleared her throat and stood up. “I’ll try to visit you later, if not tomorrow. I hope your test comes back well.” 

Matt turned around in his bed and stayed silent as she left his room. She made her way back to her room and was surprised she made it through getting her blood pressure checked and signing the papers without breaking down. Once she was done she walked out with Antonio and instead of going back to her and Matt’s apartment she went to the firehouse. When she arrived, the only trucks in the garage were chief’s and engine. She continued her way up the driveway into the common room which was empty and then proceeded to enter Matt’s office. She stood in front of his desk and took a moment to look over all of the pictures he had hanging above his desk and the ones framed on is desk. Most of them were of him with the guys from truck or from when the entire firehouse got together, but there were also a few of just him and Gabby. She wasn’t sure if she should take those down since they didn’t look much like a couple in them but also knew he might question why he only has pictures of him with her and not Shay. The one she would have to take was the one sitting on his desk. It was picture of them two kissing that Shay had sneakily taken during a christmas party that they had thrown at the firehouse. 

The door to his office opened and on the other side stood Chief Boden. “Gabby? What are you doing here I thought you were still at the hospital?”

“I got discharged this morning and I didn’t feel like going back to the apartment right now.” She explained. 

Chief walked into Matt’s office, closing the door behind him. They were both silent for a few seconds as he observed Gabby. “How are you holding up?” 

“He asked me why his family and wife or girlfriend weren’t visiting him.” Her voice trembled as she spoke. “I didn’t get the chance to respond but god I just wanted to tell him that his girlfriend was there. His girlfriend and his baby were there visiting him. But I couldn’t.” 

Chief pulled Gabby in for a hug and let her cry it out. When she managed to calm down everyone else was already coming back from their call. She smiled and nodded at Chief, letting him know she was okay and walked out to the common room where she greeted everyone. 

“How are you and baby Casey doing?” Otis asked.  

“Everything’s looking good, just have to keep my blood pressure normal and stress level minimal.

“Looks like you need to find a new job, Dawson.” Cruz joked. 

“I think I just need to find myself some new friends.” Gabby grinned, sending the entire house into a fit of laughter. 

After that encounter, they each went on to do their own thing and her and Shay left to the sleeping bunks where they sat down and talked. 

“How has it been with McCauley?” Gabby snickered. 

Shay groaned. “Don’t even get me started. I wanted to throw myself in front of one of the trucks when Chief told me he was going to be filling in for you. What about you? How are you doing?” 

“I am so tired of people asking me how i’m doing first of all. I guess i’m doing the best I can. I just hate having to lie to him about everything. He asked me about his family and wife or girlfriend today.” 

A sorrowed look crossed Shay’s face and she placed her on top of Gabby’s. “Oh my god, Dawson, what did you say?”

“I didn’t get to say anything because Antonio interrupted us and I left afterwards. Im not sure if he still wants to see me actually.” 

“Why wouldn’t he?” Shay frowned. 

Gabby sighed. “He didn’t say anything when I told him I would probably stop by later or tomorrow. And when he told me that I should go home since Antonio had told me I needed to sign my discharge papers, he sounded mad.” 

“He’s probably upset at the fact that his family isn’t there. Or at least the family he has pictured in his mind. But I think as long as week keep visiting him he should be okay. I heard all the guys say they were going to visit him later today, maybe we could go then?” 

Gabby nodded. “Yeah, the way he was when I left keeps bothering me and I just need to know he’s going to be alright.” She paused for a second and took a deep breath. “Can you come with me to our apartment and help me with putting away everything the shows we’re together?” 

“Yeah, of course, but why are you doing that? You two didn’t break up before this and hide it from me right?” Shay asked, wondering if she had missed something. Both her and Gabby stood as shift was over and made their way to the locker room where they grabbed their stuff. 

“No, but I was telling Laura that if Matt really does fall in love with me again, I want it to be real and not have him see that we were together once and feel forced to be with me.” Gabby explained. 

Both girls walked out of the locker room and headed out to Kelly’s car since Shay had rode with him that morning. The drive was silent and once they entered the apartment Gabby let out a sigh as she looked at the mess that was left from the morning she and Matt were leaving for shift. Their blankets were both strewn on the back of the couch, mugs sitting on the coffee table as well as on the kitchen counter with their plates from breakfast.

“I’m sorry about the mess. Wasn’t really planning on having any visitors. You want some coffee and something to eat?” She offered

“I’ll take some coffee, thanks.” Shay responded.

Gabby started the coffee machine and then got to cleaning around the living room and kitchen with Shay’s help. Afterwards they sat down and had their cup of coffee and tea while Shay talked about her shift. When they finished, Gabby began taking down the frames from the wall and off the furniture, putting them in the box she had found up in the attic. She left the ones with the entire firehouse up and even though in all of them he still had his arm around her she hoped he didn’t think much about it. 

The hardest part was cleaning out things in their bedroom. She put all of his clothes  into boxes so it would be easier to take to the guest bedroom. When she finished packing the clothes in the dresser she bent down to pick the box up when she heard the voice of her best friend.

“Gabriela Dawson, you even attempt to pick up that box and I will kick your ass. You know better than to pick up heavy things.” Shay called her out. 

“Shay, it’s fine. It’s not that heavy.” 

“Ah, I don’t wanna hear any of that. Go pack something else and i’ll take the boxes to the guest room.”

With a huff, Gabby left the box on the ground for Shay to take and grabbed another box for the clothes in their closet. The clothes in there wasn’t as heard as in the dresser, she kept the clothes all in the hanger and just draped it over the edges of the box. Once everything that was his was out of the room she looked around and felt her eyes begin to water. She was going to be sleeping in an empty bed probably for the next few weeks and the room had little evidence that he had been staying with her. 

She looked at the ring on her finger and brought her other hand up and began twisting the ring off her finger when two other hands came up to halt her movements. 

“Don’t take it off, Dawson. You can move and hide anything else you want, but don’t take this off.” Shay said. 

Looking up at her best friend, she nodded and slid the ring back into its place. She then wrapped her arms around Shay and pulled in for a hug. Silently thanking her for everything she did today.

Gabby yawned. “I’m gonna take a nap. You’re welcome to stay here if you want.” 

“Go take a nap. I’ll see what I can entertain myself with while you sleep.” Shay reassured. 

With that, she exited the room and left Gabby by herself. Gabby walked out to the dresser and pulled out one of his old truck 81 shirts and put it in, needing the scent of him close to her so she could fall asleep. When her head hit the bed, she immediately began to sob, finally being able to break down properly. She sobbed in relief that he was alive and still with her but also for what was yet to come as they tried to get his memory back. 

Her nap was interrupted when she felt her stomach lurch and was instantly running to the bathroom, barely opening the toilet lid in time. A knock on the door was heard and Shays voice came from the other side. 

“Dawson, are you alright?” 

“Yeah, just morning sickness.” Gabby responded. She flushed the toilet once she was finished and rinsed her mouth with mouth wash before returning back to her bed and falling back asleep. She got up twice more during her nap but was well rested. She took a shower and brought her dirty clothes down to the washer and began a load. In the kitchen Shay was sat at the dining table having some toast and another cup of coffee. 

Once she noticed Gabby she perked up. “Rise and shine baby girl! I was feeling generous enough that I prepared you a bagel and some oatmeal.” 

“Oh come on, you know you would make me breakfast every morning if you could.” Gabby teased.

Shay grabbed one the grapes she had on her plate and threw it Gabby but grumbled when she managed to catch it. The two ate their breakfast together and got up when Kelly texted Shay letting her know they were all heading to the hospital to see Matt. When they got there, everyone was waiting for them in the waiting room. 

“Hey guys.” Gabby and Shay greeted. 

“Have you all gone and seen him?” Shay asked. 

“No, we were waiting for you guys.” Kelly replied. 

Together, they all head up to Matt’s room. None of them say anything and Gabby felt herself become more and more nervous as they got closer to Matt’s room.She and Shay decided the would let the guys visit him first while they stayed back and talked to some of the nurses and paramedics that came and went. Matt was lying down in the bed looking at the tv when they got there, though his mind seemed to be somewhere else. Kelly knocked on the door and held back a chuckle when the man jumped. 

“You up for visitors?” He asked. 

“Yeah, sure come in.” Matt turned the tv off and his eyes widened at the amount of people who stepping into his room. He was sure that it was more than allowed. “I guess these are the people I work with huh?” 

“Yeah, you mainly deal with these people though.” Kelly pointed at Herrmann, Mouch, Cruz, and Otis. 

“Hey, Lieutenant, i’m Hermann how you feeling?” Herrmann stepped forward.

“I’m ready to go home.” Matt chuckled. “Also, i’m not working and you guys aren’t on shift either, call me Matt or Casey or whatever you want to call me.” 

“Still have a sense of humor I see.” Cruz piped up. 

“Why do I get the feeling that you and him,” Matt pointed at Otis. “Are always getting into trouble.” 

“That’s because they do.” Mouch responded, sending the room into laughter. 

The rest of truck and squad introduced themselves and they all continued with small talk. Matt never questioned again why only they were the ones visiting and Kelly was glad for that. After a while they began to say goodbye and were walking about of the room. 

“Kelly!” Matt called out. “Is Gabby here?” 

The corners of Kelly’s mouth quirked up. “Yeah she’s outside waiting with Shay.” 

He stepped outside and found Shay trying to comfort Gabby who looked like she was about to have a breakdown. “Dawson, Shay, Matt’s waiting for you.” 

“Is he mad at me? Did he say anything?” Gabby bombarded Kelly. 

“Calm down, he was the one who asked if you were here. Now go in there and see him.” 

They entered the room and a grin grew on Matt’s face. Gabby felt the relief flow through her body at knowing he wasn’t mad or upset with her. She stepped closer to him and noticed he looked less pale and looked more like himself. The lonely and lost look on his face wasn’t there as much. 

“Hey, glad to see you came back. For a minute I thought you wouldn’t come and see me again.” He said. 

“Why would you think that?” Gabby frowned. 

“The way I talked you this morning wasn’t the best and I know you noticed it too. I’m sorry. It’s just, knowing that you’re brother was here while none of my family was here made me upset and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” Matt apologized. 

Gabby smiled. “It’s okay, I would be upset if I was in your position too. You’re forgiven. Now, I would like you to meet, again, my best friend and partner on ambo Leslie Shay.” 

Shay stepped forward and shook Matt’s hand that was stretched out. “Nice to see you’re doing okay Casey. The firehouse has been different without you two.” 

“Nice to meet you again, Leslie, i’m glad Gabby has you as a partner. Make sure she doesn’t stress so much so her blood pressure stays normal. She’s too young for that.” 

Shay laughed. “Trust me, when she’s with me, the last thing she will do is stress. Besides, she knows she can’t hide anything from me. I practically know when she’s not well before she even realizes she’s not feeling well. Anyway, i’m going to join the guys so you can guys can talk.” 

“She seems like a good best friend.” Matt said once she had left the room. 

“Yeah, she the best. I couldn’t have asked for a better one. You should see how she is with Kelly. Those two have such a strong relationship and I hope nothing ever breaks those two apart.” Gabby sat down, subconsciously placing a hand on her stomach when doing so. 

“They’re together?” 

Gabby chuckled. “Those two? Oh no, Shay is a devoted lesbian and Kelly loves spending his time with women. But hey no judging here.” 

Matt’s eyebrow shot up. “Really? I thought those two were together. They really seemed like it by the way they act.”

“I know! I thought so too when I first started at 51 and then I overhead an argument between them. Kelly was trying to tell Shay that she shouldn’t be with the girl she was with at the time and she wouldn’t listen.” 

“Wow.” Matt shook his head. “I have news. The doctor said my scans came back clear and that i’ll actually be discharged tomorrow morning.” 

Gabby’s eyebrows raised and a smile grew on her face. “Matt, that’s great! Um I actually needed to talk to you about that. The doctors think it would be best if you stayed with me to help get your memories back, so I wanted to see if you would be okay with that.” 

There was a moment of silence after and Gabby held her breath as she waited for him to argue with her and say he didn’t want to stay with her. But that never came.

“Yes, of course. I trust you. Plus, I can’t remember anything so i’m not sure living on my own would be such a great idea right now.” He laughed.

“I’m not so sure either,” Gabby laughed with him. “I set up the guest bedroom for you and Kelly brought most of your clothes over from your apartment to mines too. We can go back and get more if there’s something else you’d like.” 

“Wow, you just got discharged today and you did all that already? How?” 

Gabby swallowed nervously. “Uh, they told me about you staying with me the day you first woke up and I told Kelly and he started bringing your clothes over that day.” 

Matt looked at her curiously and Gabby averted her gaze so he wouldn’t catch on that she was partly lying. He was about to say something when a nurse knocked on the door way and came in. 

“I’m sorry for interrupting, but it’s time we give Mr. Casey his meds and let him sleep some.” She informed, walking to him with two cups, on with water and the other with his meds. He took them all and nodded gratefully at the nurse. 

Gabby placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. “I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow morning okay?” 

Matt nodded. “Alright. Thanks, Gabby, for doing all of this when you don’t have to.”

“You’re my friend, Matt, I would do anything to help you get better.” Gabby smiled at him once more before dimming the lights and closing the door. 


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Gabby cleaned around the apartment picking up the things she had left out the afternoon before. Today Matt was coming home with her and she was nervous about it. She had breakfast after cleaning and was making sure everything was in its place in the guest bedroom. Her stomach churned and she ran out to the hallway bathroom where she threw up. Normally her morning sickness would be ending soon as she was nearing the second trimester but since she started having it late she knew it would most likely go on. Gabby knew Matt would catch on to it and she still didn’t know if she should tell him. She brushed her teeth once she was done and changed into better clothes to head to the hospital.   
  
When she got there, Matt was sitting in the waiting room talking to a little girl, well more like listening to her babble away. He noticed her and Gabby knew he said something to the little girl because she took of running to her mom. “For a second I thought you had forgotten all about me.” He smiled and stood up.   
  
“I’m sorry. I was cleaning the apartment and making sure your room was ready.” Gabby glanced over at the little girl who was looking at them with curious eyes. “I see you made a new friend.”   
  
“Oh yeah, Emily. I was sitting down with my head back and suddenly something bumps into my leg. I looked down and she was on the floor looking up at me. She’s such a cute kid. I didn’t understand much of what she was saying since it was all babbles. Though I'm sure she was probably going on about how I should be more careful of where I put my legs. I’m sure according to her it was my fault that she fell, but hey I'm not about to argue with a little girl.”   
  
Gabby laughed at Matt’s words and wondered what he would be like with their baby. “You made a smart decision in not arguing with her. Are you ready to go?”   
  
“Yeah, i’ve got everything I need and already signed my papers.”   
  
Gabby nodded and began walking out to her car, Matt following behind her. She was going to offer to take Matt out for breakfast but when she glanced over at him he looked tired and decided to go straight home instead. She was partly glad because she wasn’t feeling so good either and wanted to try and take a nap. She parked in her usual spot in front of the steps to the door and gently nudged Matt who had fallen asleep.   
  
“Hey, we’re here.” She spoke softly. They both stepped out of the car and walked into the apartment. Gabby saw Matt freeze as soon as he stepped in and became worried. “Matt? Is everything okay?”   
  
“Yeah, just got a little dizzy for a second.” He reassured.   
  
“The doctor gave you some medicine for that right? You should take some and get some rest.”   
  
Matt waved a hand Gabby. “I’m fine. I’ve gotten enough rest at the hospital and I took some medicine before leaving.”   
  
“Matt-“   
  
“Gabby, I'm fine.” He growled and she frowned at the tone of his voice.   
  
Matt sighed. “I’m sorry, it’s just everyone’s been on me the past two days and there’s only so much I can’t take.   
  
“It’s okay. I completely understand how you feel. I swear I start going crazy whenever someone asks how I'm feeling the second time.” She placed her purse and keys on the front table and walked to the kitchen. “Do you want some coffee or breakfast?” She offered, taking out the dishes from the sink and drying them.   
  
“No, thank you. Uh, can you show me the way to my room please?”   
  
Gabby set down the dish she was drying and motion for him to follow. “This is your room. I already put your clothes in the dresser and hung some of it in the closet. Feel free to move anything you want around. There’s a closet across from you which has extra blankets, sheets, and towels. The door next to the closet is the bathroom and under the sink there’s extra toiletries for you to use. My room is the one at the end of the hallway, if you need anything feel free to come wake me.”   
  
Matt nodded, taking in the information and looking around the room. “Okay, thanks. When do you go back to work?”   
  
“I go back tomorrow. I’ve been cleared to work as long as I continue taking my medication. You could come with me in the morning if you’d like. I’m sure all the guys would be glad to see you and it might help with getting your memory back.”   
  
“Do you know if I will still be able to be a lieutenant once I get my memory back?” Matt asked, not sure why he cared so much about it.   
  
“Of course. You’d probably have to retake the exam as well as the physical exam once your memory is back, but I'm more than sure you’d still be able to continue as lieutenant.” Gabby reassured.   
  
“Am I a good lieutenant?”   
  
Gabby laughed. “Are you kidding me? You are the best lieutenant in the entire CFD. The things you’ve done are amazing. Your men look up to you. I mean the reason you’re in this situation right now is because you risked your life saving a baby. You told Herrmann to leave and get out while you stayed behind. You’re an amazing firefighter and lieutenant, Matt.”   
  
There was hope and relief shining in Matt’s eyes and Gabby could see the doubt in him leaving. “Is the baby alive?”   
  
“Yeah, all thanks to you. They got discharged today as well. There’s a chance they might come to the firehouse to see you.”   
  
“Okay, I think I'll go with you tomorrow morning.” Matt decided.   
  
Gabby smiled. “Alright. Shift starts at 8 so we’ll leave around 7:30. I’m not feeling so good this morning so I'm going to take a nap. Feel free to explore around the apartment. If you get hungry you can make yourself something or eat whatever is in the pantry.”   
  
“Thank you. I hope you feel better.”   
  
Gabby took off to her room and changed into more comfortable clothes. She sat down on the bed and took out the picture from her last ultrasound. “I hope your dad gets his memories back soon. I can’t wait to tell him about you. I’m glad I'm not completely alone in this and that I have you as well as all your other uncles and aunts.” She set the picture aside and laid down comfortably in the bed and fell asleep.   
  
Matt knew Gabby had fallen asleep because he couldn’t hear any noises coming from her room. He stepped out from his room and looked at the pictures that were hung on the wall. There were a lot of pictures with people from work and some that he assumed were Gabby’s family. He continued on to the living room and as he looked around the apartment, he found that there was a lot he liked about it. He certainly would’ve chosen this apartment if he were looking for one. Matt thought it was weird but shrugged it off as him and Gabby having the same taste.   
  
He walked back to his room, shutting the door quietly so he wouldn’t wake Gabby and looked at his turn out gear. The jacket had some burns and instinctively touched his neck, surprised he hadn’t been burned. He checked the pockets to see if he found anything and to his surprise he found a phone. Matt was glad it didn’t have a password but also thought wasn’t good thing considering he worked with a bunch of guys who loved to play pranks. He went through his messages and found the last person he had texted was Kelly, apparently they were planning a weekend getaway. Gabby’s name was found underneath Kelly’s and was surprised because he didn’t think they were that close. However, when he clicked on her name, he saw that there weren’t many texts between them. Most of them were asking if any of them wanted to go out for breakfast and others about how their days were going.   
  
When he clicked on his call log, there he found that he and Gabby called each other a lot. He assumed the reason they called each other more was because one of them didn’t like texting as much, but he was also curious why they did it so much if they were just coworkers. Matt set his phone aside and laid his gear on a chair in the corner of the room. He then looked at the clothes that Kelly had brought and was happy with what he had chosen. In the closet, he smiled as he noticed that Gabby had separated all of his work uniforms from his normal clothes. After he was done exploring around his room and the apartment he decided to catch some sleep since there was nothing to do.   
  
It was around two when Gabby woke up. She placed a hand on her stomach and groaned as she felt a wave a nausea roll through her. “Come on, sweetheart, you know I hate throwing up.” When it went away, she took a deep breath and sat up to go to the bathroom. She couldn’t hear any noise in the apartment and when she stepped out she saw Matt’s door was closed so she assumed he was sleeping. She was glad he was because despite him saying he wasn’t tired she knew he was.   
  
She walked to the kitchen and began making breakfast for the both of them. Gabby was glad she had managed to actually finish making breakfast without having to run to the bathroom to throw up. At around 2:30 Matt stepped out of his room and walked to the kitchen.   
  
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Gabby teased. “You can have a seat at the dining table. What do you want to drink with breakfast?”   
  
“I’ll have some orange juice if you have some, please.” Matt said as he sat down.   
  
Gabby poured them both orange juice and brought it to the table as well as their plates. They ate in silence but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Both of them were still half asleep from their nap. As soon as Gabby had finished eating, she was up and running to her bathroom. Clearly the baby had waited until she had finished eating so she could throw it all back up. When she walked out Matt was looking at her with a worried look, she knew she must look pale and her hands were shaking. She rinsed her glass of orange juice and poured herself some water.   
  
“Are you alright?” Matt asked, concerned.   
  
“Yeah, im okay.” Gabby reassured. Matt didn’t seem to believe her but he let the subject go.   
  
They both cleaned up around the kitchen and then went out for a walk. Their walk took longer than expected because they ended up walking into nearby shops and played around in them. Almost getting the cops called on them. For dinner they had ordered pizza and watched a movie.   
  
The next morning Gabby was once again glued to the toilet puking her guts out. When she finally felt like she could get up she began her usual morning routine. Once changed into her uniform she stepped out of her room and was surprised when she found Matt was already waiting for her with two travel mugs in his hand. He handed one to her and smiled.   
  
“Tea for you and coffee for me. I heard you being sick again and I thought tea would help settle your stomach.” He said.   
  
Gabby felt herself tear up and began cursing inwardly at her hormones because she should not be tearing up for this. “Thank you. You ready to go?”   
  
“Yeah, are you not going to eat anything?”   
  
“No, we can have breakfast at the firehouse.”   
  
They both walked out to Gabby’s car and headed to the firehouse. As they were walking up the driveway Kelly noticed them and walked to them. He hugged Gabby and patted Matt on the back.

“Hey, im surprised he tagged along with you.”   
  
“Yeah, I was worried he would eat all my food so I brought him here to keep an eye on him.”   
  
An offended look appeared on Matt’s face and both Gabby and Kelly bursted out laughing.   
  
“You guys are no longer my friends. I’m going inside to my friends who won’t make fun of me.” Matt joked and took off to go inside.   
  
“How is he doing?” Kelly asked when they recovered from their laughing session.   
  
“So far he’s doing well. I’m not sure how much he actually slept since his door was shut and Matt is a quiet person. We went out for some time yesterday and he seemed to have fun. I just don’t know how long it’ll be till he starts asking questions about why I'm throwing up a lot. It should go away soon but you know everyone’s different.”   
  
Kelly bit his lip and Gabby knew what he was about to say. “You’re going to have to tell him if your morning sickness doesn’t go away anytime soon or gets worse, Gabby. I know you want him to remember soon so you can tell him. But he needs to know you’re pregnant in case anything happens to you he knows at least what’s going on.”   
  
Tears filled Gabby’s eyes and she swallowed roughly. “I know, Kelly. If my morning sickness doesn’t go away and he starts asking questions i’ll tell him.”   
  
“Promise?”   
  
“I promise.”   
  
Kelly smiled gently at her. “Come on, go inside and have some breakfast.”   
  
Gabby nodded and went inside, greeting the guys at the squad table. Once inside she found Matt sitting with the guys laughing while they ate breakfast. For a second Gabby felt like everything was back to normal, but deep down she knew it would be awhile. She grabbed a plate for herself and served herself some breakfast and took a seat next to Shay who was sitting at the end of the table.   
  
“Hey, babe, how are you doing?” Shay asked as Gabby dug into her food.   
  
“Everything’s fine so far. Except for the fact that it won’t be long before Matt begins asking what’s wrong with me. I had to throw up this morning and he was already asking if everything was okay.”   
  
Shay cooed. “Aw, even without his memories our dear lieutenant still worries about you. I saw you and Severide talking earlier.”   
  
“Yeah, I was telling him that. He said I needed to tell Casey if he starts asking questions in case anything happens.” Gabby told Shay.   
  
“That’s smart. Ugh, I'm so glad to have you back, Dawson. I didn’t even spend a whole shift with Chout and I was already wanting to die.”   
  
They spend the morning eating their breakfast with no calls interrupting them for the first time in awhile. Usually they would be relieved but they knew it also meant there was a chance a major accident would happen at some point in the afternoon.   
  
Matt watched as Gabby took of running to where the bathrooms were and he walked over to where Shay and Severide were standing.   
  
“Hey, you both seem close to Gabby and I know it’s probably none of my business but does she by any chance have an eating disorder?” He asked.   
  
Shay and Severide shared a look which thankfully went unnoticed by Matt. “Why do you say that?” Severide eventually asked.   
  
“It’s just, she runs off to the bathroom after she eats and she comes back pale and her hands shaking.”   
  
“Don’t worry, Gabby doesn’t have an eating disorder, I've seen how much my girl can eat yet still be able to keep her amazing body shape without having to do anything like that. It’s probably just the medicine reacting to what she eats, but i’ll talk to her.” Shay reassured before taking off to the bathrooms. Gabby was already walking out and rinsing her mouth when Shay walked in.

“What’s up?” Gabby asked when she finished.

“You gotta tell Casey soon. He thought you had an eating disorder because you throw up after you eat.”

Gabby’s eyes widened. “Sometimes I think Matt chose the wrong career path and should’ve been a detective instead. I have an appointment in two weeks for my twelve week check up, i’ll tell him then so he knows.”

“You better.”

The klaxon rung calling for ambo and both Gabby and Shay took off running outside, Gabby missing the worried look Matt sent her way.

“Hey sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Gabby asked the little who standing on the doorstep crying.

“It’s my mommy!” The little girl cried, pointing back at the door.

“Can you show me where your mommy is?” Gabby asked again and followed the little girl into the living room to where the woman was on the floor unconscious. Her and Shay immediately began checking her and the only thing that came up was low blood pressure. They placed her in the ambulance and transported her to Chicago Med.

“Okay, I knew I would get tired easily now that I'm pregnant, but I didn’t think I'd get this tired.” Gabby breathed out once the patient was taken from them.

Shay laughed. “You still have a long way to go, Dawson, because I'm not letting you leave any sooner than you have to and then have to be paired with Chout. Then I will seriously tell Severide to run me over with his truck.”

Both paramedics drove back to the firehouse and began writing their reports. Gabby finished writing hers and went to look for Matt. When she didn’t find him in the common room she went to his office, well technically Herrmann’s office, and found him sitting at the desk looking through old reports. She smiled fondly when she noticed the frown he always had on his face when reading reports and knocked on the door.

“Watcha doing?” She asked once Matt let her in.

Matt shut the file he had on the desk closed and looked at her. “I got bored after a while and Herrmann said I should come check out my office. I will say, for a man who doesn’t like taking pictures I have a lot of pictures hanging in my office.”

Gabby laughed and remembered the ones she had to take down. “Well, we have our ways of convincing you to be in the pictures. I saw you were reading through old files?”

“Yeah, the binders of the reports are just sitting there and I got curious. Some of these incidents are funny and could’ve been avoided and others are so bad that I don’t see how I was able to just go home to a lonely apartment knowing what we had gone through earlier.” Matt said, a solemn look on his face.

Gabby sat down on the bed and Matt turned to face her. “That’s why we usually meet up at Molly’s when we got through a rough call.”

“What’s Molly’s?” Matt asked.

“Right, it’s a bar owned by me, Herrmann and Otis. It’s small but it fit well in the neighborhood. Usually we have people from our shift and some from Med and the 21st district come down and have drinks but we also get people from around the neighborhood. If we ever get a rough call we all meet up there and talk about our day to try and get our mind away from the rough call we had that day.”

“This Molly’s bar sounds very cozy, seems like everyone who goes there is like a family.” Matt pointed out.

“Yeah, it is. I work there when I have morning shifts and it’s nice to see families or friends get together and share a beer and talk about how they’ve been doing.” Gabby said, a fond smile on her face. “Well, I'll let you get back to reading through your reports. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me for anything. If at some point you want to go home, let me know okay?”

Matt nodded. “Okay. Thanks for bringing me with you. I think I would’ve gotten pretty lonely at your apartment and gotten lost if I had decided to go out.”

Gabby chuckled. “It’s good I brought you then.”

The rest of their shift went by smooth. There weren’t many calls which was unusual for a house as busy as 51. Gabby and Matt left to the apartment and had some breakfast before getting some sleep. Later that afternoon they went to Matt’s apartment to pick out some things he wanted before going to have dinner at a small diner.

Two weeks later, Matt still hadn’t remembered anything and Gabby was now sitting in the waiting room with Shay waiting to be called for her twelve week check up.

“Where did you tell Casey you were going this morning?” Shay asked curiously.

Gabby sighed. “I told him I was going to the doctors to get my blood pressure checked and make sure everything was fine from when I fainted. He really wanted to come with me but I convinced him not to.”

“How do you know he isn’t going to take a cab to Chicago Med and ask for you?” Shay questioned.

Gabby froze for a second and cursed at herself for not thinking of that possibility. “I didn’t think of that actually.” She admitted.

“Gabriela Dawson.” A nurse called out, Gabby and Shay stood up and followed her where Gabby got her vitals and measurements taken. Afterwards they were taken to a room where they would wait for the doctor to come in. Luckily it didn’t take her long enough.

“Good morning, Ms. Dawson, I’m Dr. Rose.” She greeted. “How are you doing today?”

“Good morning, I’m doing great. My morning sickness is still relatively the same. It’s not getting better but it’s not getting worse.” Gabby told her doctor and then pointed to Shay. “This is my friend Leslie Shay, she wanted to accompany me today.”

“It’s not to meet you Ms. Shay.” Dr. Rose greeted and shook Shay’s hand. She then looked through her notes and nodded. “Alright, well your blood pressure looks good, that's what I was concerned about. I heard about what happened to lieutenant Casey, is he okay?”

Gabby sighed. “Physically he is fine, but he suffered a severe head injury and lost his memories. He’s currently living with me to see if it’ll help him remember.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, I can’t imagine what you are going through, especially while you’re pregnant. On another note, are you ready to take a look at your baby?”

“Yes, please.” Gabby nodded eagerly.

Dr. Rose smiled back and grabbed the bottle of gel and gave it a shake. “Alright, Ms. Dawson, if you can please lay back for me.” Gabby shivered at the coldness of the gel, despite knowing it was cold she always shivered when it was applied. It felt like an eternity passed before the sound of a loud heartbeat echoed off the walls of the small room. She felt her eyes water as she looked at her and Matt’s baby. More tears made their way down her cheeks as she suddenly longed for Matt to be there with her sharing this moment.

“Your baby is very healthy. Everything seems to be fine. Now, I can try to see if I can get a good look to find out the gender, do you want to know?” Dr. Rose asked, handing Gabby a tissue when she noticed the tears.

“Thank you and yes, please.”

Dr. Rose moved the wand around a little and then smiled. “Congratulations, it looks like you’re having a baby girl.” A watery smile grew on Gabby’s face and thoughts of a little girl toddling after Matt and being a complete daddy’s girl instantly filled her mind. “Because it is a little early, I could be wrong but I'm pretty confident that you’re having a baby girl. However we can confirm that at your next check up. Would you like me to print off some pictures?”

“Yes, please.” Gabby said, wiping off the gel from her stomach with a wet wipe and taking a seat next to Shay. “I’m having a little girl, Shay.”

“I’m so happy for you, Gabs.” Shay pulled her in for a hug. “So, are you going to tell, Matt?”

Gabby took a deep breath. “I think I am. I really want to wait until he remembers but a pregnancy isn’t something I can hide for so long.”

After Dr. Rose gave Gabby the photos, her and Shay left. Gabby dropped Shay off at her apartment before driving back home. When she parked outside, she waited a few minutes in her car, wanting to wait a few minutes to convince herself that she could tell Matt about the baby. She cried a little knowing that she wasn’t going to get the reaction Matt would have at knowing he was going to be a father to the baby that they both created. Finally, she took a few deep breaths and stepped out of her car and entered her apartment.

Matt was sitting in the living room watching a rerun of the last hockey game when she walked in. He instantly muted the tv and stood up and made his way towards her.

“How was your doctor's appointment?” He asked, a concerned look on his face.

Gabby cleared her throat. “It was good. Everything turned out just fine. Um, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Matt frowned. “Sure, what is it?”

“I didn’t exactly tell you the truth this morning.” Gabby saw the frown on his face grow and quickly continued. “I did have a doctor’s appointment, you can ask Shay if you want, but I didn’t go just to get my blood pressure checked. I’m uh, pregnant, and I went for my twelve week scan today.”

The frown on Matt’s face stayed put for a few seconds before a small smile grew on his face. He opened his arms and Gabby took the invitation for a hug. She willed herself not to cry as she felt his arms around her for the first time since the accident.

“Congratulations, Gabby. I’m so happy for you.” Matt said once he pulled away. “I do have one question, where’s the father of your baby? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I’m just curious.”

Gabby’s breath hitched, caught off guard by the question. She should’ve known he would ask about the father. “Um, you don’t need to worry about him. It’s just going to be me and the baby.”

Matt shook his head. “It’s going to be you, the baby, your family, and your friends, including me. And since I’m living with you, from now on you’re going to let me handle most of the work alright?”

“Matt, you don’t have to do that. I’m pregnant, not disabled, I can still do everything I always do.” Gabby protested.

“I don’t have to, but I want to.” A thoughtful look crossed Matt’s face. “That’s why you were in the hospital when I was there too, wasn't it?”

Gabby chuckled. “Yeah, the pregnancy caused my blood pressure to rise, especially since I was going through a rough time.”

“I knew it. Do you know what you’re having yet?” Matt asked, motioning for Gabby to follow him to the living room where they sat down.

“My doctor said she’s pretty sure I’m having a girl, but because it’s still a little early she could be wrong.”

“Oh no, I can already picture a little dawson running around the firehouse telling the guys they’re wrong about something.” Matt laughed.

“You think you’re funny don’t you? Well I’d like to see how you handle a little dawson bossing you around because she claims she’s the lieutenant and not you.” Gabby joked.

She was glad that Matt hadn’t reacted badly at knowing she was pregnant. She knew he was going to be helping her every way he could despite her arguing against it. They spent the rest of the morning talking about the baby and Matt listening to what Gabby had in mind for the nursery.


	6. Chapter 6

A few days later, Gabby was sitting with the others eating breakfast and scrolling through her phone. Matt had come with her but was taking a nap since he said he was having a headache. It had been a little over half an hour when he came stumbling over to the common room.

"Who's Nancy?" He suddenly asked. Gabby and Kelly dropped their spoons and shared a look before they turned to him.

"What?" Gabby spoke.

Matt took a seat in one of the chairs. "I had a dream about someone named Nancy, who is she?"

Kelly cleared his throat. "Did you see her in your dream?"

"Yeah, she has curly hair, blue eyes and is shorter than me." Matt described.

Gabby took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Nancy Casey is your mother."

Different emotions crossed Matt's face but finally one remained and it was anger. His eyes had darkened a little and he stood up roughly, shoving the chair he was sitting in, back under the table. "She's my mother and she didn't come visit me in the hospital? I nearly died and she didn't call or text? Did any of you even tell her I was in the hospital?"

The common room was completely silent. None of them knew what to say. They all watched silently as Matt stormed out of the firehouse.

"Matt!" Gabby yelled, following after him. "Matt, wait, just stop and let me explain!"

Matt stopped and turned around angrily. "I thought everyone here was supposed to be my friends, my family, but yet none of you told my own mother what happened!"

"It's not like that, Matt. This situation with your mom is more complicated than you think and I can't tell you about it just yet." Gabby explained.

"Why not? Why can't you just tell me?"

Gabby sighed. "Because I need you to remember on your own, Matt. There are things about your mom that I can't tell you because you don't know her. I will tell you everything you want once you remember more, trust me."

Matt nodded. "Okay. I think i'm going to catch a cab back to your apartment. I need some time alone right now."

"Alright. Let me know when you're there?"

"Yeah."

Gabby watched as Matt took off and wave down a cab, getting inside and take off. Part of her felt like she just lost some of Matt's trust because she wouldn't tell him the truth. The bell rang, startling her out her thoughts and she ran towards the ambulance. Shay looked over at her and noticed how Gabby looked upset, but didn't say anything.

After the call Gabby went straight to her bunk and checked her phone. The only notifications she had were a missed call from Matt and a text from him too.

_Hey, I called but you didn't answer so I assume you're at a call. I made it back to your apartment. I'm sort of thinking it was a mistake now since I'm by myself and don't know anything. Anyway, hope you have a good rest of the shift._

Gabby smiled at the text and decided to give Matt a call since it wasn't too late.

"Gabby?" Matt's voice came through.

"Hey, I just saw your message and thought I'd give you a call so you wouldn't be so lonely." Gabby laid down in her bunk and covered herself with the blanket, a hand resting on her stomach as she listened to Matt's voice.

"Yeah, I got to your apartment and realized I didn't know what to do. I watched some TV and made myself something to eat, but that's about all I can do. I've never felt like this before and I hate it."

Gabby frowned. "Felt like what?"

"So out of place and like a burden to everyone. All of you at the firehouse know each other and understand all the jokes and stories you tell. I mean I don't even know who I am and doctors expect me to be able to remember 28 years of my life. What if- What if I don't remember anything?"

"Matt, don't say that."

"It's been almost three weeks, Gabby! The only thing I've remembered is some woman named Nancy who is apparently my mother and a bad one at that because she hasn't decided to come visit me once."

A sigh left Gabby. "What if I help you? We can look through photo albums and I'll tell you what the pictures are about."

"Okay, fine. Now get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow morning." Matt said before hanging up.

Gabby sat up and placed her phone on the side table, her head falling into her hands. She knew Matt was getting frustrated from not remembering anything. Gabby herself was beginning to lose hope as well, she was about three months pregnant and Matt still didn't remember anything about them. The only thing she could hold onto was the chance that showing him pictures might trigger something in him or help him remember faster.

"Hey, Dawson, you alright?" Kelly asked, startling her. He took a seat across from her and noticed the distressed look on her face.

She lifted her head up and her eyes met his and she shook her head. "I don't know. Matt is getting frustrated because he doesn't remember anything yet. I'm trying to think of how I can help him, but I'm also beginning to lose hope. I know it's only been three weeks but he should've begun to remember some things about himself. He suffered severe brain trauma and an epidural hematoma, I don't think he's going to remember much."

"Gabby, you're not doing this by yourself, remember? Shay and I are here to help too. I can take him to the academy and show him where we trained, I can take him to my dad's cabin where we've spent numerous weekends together just joking around doing what brothers do. Shay might not be as close with him but she can tell him about the hundreds of times he's given all of us heart attacks for his stubborn actions during calls or times you both have treated him after a great rescue. Hell, i'll tell her to write an entire book over every memory the three of us have of him. The whole firehouse can tell him about all the pranks we have between companies and the battle of the badges and the annual picnics. Don't lose hope, Gabby, you need to stay strong for your baby. I know you're probably tired of hearing us tell you that he'll remember, but it's because he will." Kelly wrapped his arms around Gabby and she held onto his shirt as she cried for what felt like the millionth time. This was what she needed right now, to be reassured that Matt would remember. Kelly pulled away and he gently rubbed her arms. "You should take the rest of the shift off, chief will understand."

After thinking about it, Gabby got up and went to the locker room where she changed back into civilian clothes and gathered her things together into her bag. Then she went to Chief's office where she sat down and explained why she wanted to go home which he happily agreed to only if she promised to be here next shift. Once all that was over, she got into her car and drove to her apartment. When she got there, Matt was sitting on the couch watching an old blackhawks game. He turned around and said hi to Gabby who went and sat down next to her.

"I thought you wouldn't be home until tomorrow morning? Did something happen?" Matt questioned, worried.

Gabby smiled. "I'm fine, Chief just told me to go home and get some rest. So, I said I would help you try and remember, do you wanna do that?"

"Yeah, sure."

She stood up and went to her room where she kept her box of photos. When she reached down to pick up the box, she felt a dull pain in her back causing her to cry out. Seconds later she heard Matt come running to her room.

"Gabby?" He called out, being respectful and not going inside her room.

"I'm fine! The box was heavier than I thought. Can you uh, come help me bring it to the living room please?"

Matt stepped into Gabby's room and found her standing by her closet door with a hand rubbing her back. He knelt down and picked up the box and was shocked Gabby had actually attempted to pick up the box because even he was taken aback by the weight of it. He set the box down in front of the couch and both of them took a seat. Gabby opened the box to reveal various photo albums, she dug through it and let out an 'ah ha!' when she found the one she was looking for. The photo album turned out to be a scrapbook and when she opened it, Matt saw various photos of everyone from the firehouse and the pages decorated with little firehouse and fire truck stickers.

"I'm sorry if I overwhelm you. Ever since I was little I loved making scrapbooks and I tend to go a little overboard. This one I made when I first started working at the firehouse so these are all just the first pictures I took with everyone there." Gabby explained, pointing at the pictures on the first page. She turned the page and there were a lot of pictures of all of them cooking and laughing. Matt could see they had turned their dining table into what looked like a cooking station.

"What's going on there?" He laughed.

Gabby laughed as well as she remembered the day. "Well, Shay had made a comment about my cooking, claiming it was the best food she had ever tasted. And knowing the guys, they all jumped in saying that it couldn't be true which turned into an argument between us. You came out of your office when you heard all the yelling and once you knew what was happening you suggested a cook off. Next shift I came in and this is what I saw."

Matt looked at all the pictures and shook his head. "I actually allowed my men to participate in a cook off?"

"Allowed? You were in it too!"

"No way!" Gabby turned the page and he could see himself standing next to Herrmann preparing his dish. "Let me guess, you won the cook off?"

"I did, but you came in second! Apparently it was the first time you had ever cooked for the guys and they were all so surprised. I gotta admit, the few times you have cooked for us you have made some pretty good dishes. I'm gonna give you a piece of advice though, if you go to the firehouse and see Cruz cooking, just turn the other way and leave."

"Is it that bad?"

Gabby shuddered as she remembered his chili. "It's that bad. Okay, I'll show you one more page, I don't want to overwhelm with so much." The next page turned out to be pictures of when Cindy had her baby and the party they had thrown them at the firehouse.

"Look at that, you'll be just like her in a few months." Matt pointed out, not seeing the sad smile that appeared on Gabby's face as she looked at the picture of Herrmann and Cindy with huge smiles on their faces when she had their son. That day was a hard one for Herrmann. He was held hostage among with the others on truck while his wife was in the hospital giving a difficult birth to their son. Luckily in the end, both Cindy and their baby boy were able to pull through.

"All right that's enough for today. Is there anything you want to do?" Gabby put the scrapbook back in the box.

Matt sat silently, thinking if there was anything he wanted to do. "I just want to remember. That's all I want. I feel so out of place and like I don't belong. I'm starting to think I should just give up remembering and start over. Maybe this is me getting another chance at starting my life over. I don't know what to do anymore, I'm going to be in my room for a bit."

Once she heard Matt's bedroom door closed, she let the tears fall freely. A few seconds later she grabbed her purse and wrote Matt a note before walking out the door. Today was one of the rare days Antonio had the day off so she drove to his house. Gabby was glad Laura was at the bakery and the kids were in school. She knocked on the door and Antonio opened the door, his smile falling once he saw Gabby's face.

"What happened, Gabs?" Antonio asked once they sat down at the dining table.

"Matt mentioned giving up and starting over. All he wants is to remember but he's never been patient and is getting frustrated. If I wasn't pregnant I would probably let him."

Antonio frowned. "Would you really be willing to let

him go after you spent years going after him?"

Gabby huffed. "If it would make him happy, yes. I'm doing this for our baby, Tonio. It would hurt too much to let him go and have him fall in love with someone else knowing that I am carrying his baby. I need him."

"Gabs, maybe you need to tell him that you guys are in relationship and that you're pregnant with his child. That could be the key to him remembering. It could motivate him to want to remember."

"I don't know, Antonio." Gabby sighed. "I should go back to the apartment. I just walked out after he told me because I didn't want him to see me crying."

"Hey, I know you're the most stubborn person on the planet, but if it becomes too much you need to tell someone. It's not just you that needs to be taken care of anymore." Antonio kissed Gabby's forehead and opened the door for her. "Take care, I'm here for you if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Tonio." She walked out to her car and sat in it for a few seconds before she took off back to the apartment. She expected Matt to still be sleeping but when she entered the apartment, she felt arms wrap around her and a kiss being placed on her forehead.

Matt seemed to realize what he was doing and he froze, taking a few steps back after he recovered. "I'm sorry. I don't know what that was. I just felt like I needed to do that for some reason."

Her eyes flooded with tears because that's exactly what Matt does whenever she comes back from shift or running an errand. He always greets her with a hug and a kiss to the forehead. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

"Did I say something wrong earlier?" He questioned as Gabby set her purse down and went to the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" Gabby frowned.

"You left after I went to my room and I've been replaying the conversation in my head wondering if I said something to offend you."

Gabby could see that Matt had a self conscious look on his face and probably felt guilty. "Oh, no, you didn't say anything wrong. I just needed to talk to my brother about something. I'm sorry I left so abruptly but I didn't want to bother you."

"Oh okay. Are you about to make dinner?"

"Yeah, want to help?" Gabby grinned at him.

Matt went over to her side and began chopping up the chicken breasts that she had laid out. "So, chef Gabby, what is on the menu for today?"

"Today we are making arroz con pollo picante. One of my favorite dishes." Gabby saw Matt's chopping falter a bit. "Matt?"

"Nothing, that dish just sounds familiar."

Gabby smiled. "I've made it for you before. I had a window at one of my old apartments that needed to be fixed and my landlord wouldn't do anything about it. I told Shay about it and since you do construction she told me to ask you. In the end you came over and fixed my window, but you never ended up eating though, something came up and you had to leave."

A few moments of silence passed before Matt spoke. "So I guess my memories are coming back and I just don't realize it. They make it seem so much faster and easier in movies."

Gabby laughed. "They really do."

"Hey, isn't eating spicy foods bad for the baby?" Matt frowned.

"Yeah, that's why I'm setting a chicken breast aside and making the rest with the chili just for you."

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry if I made it sound like I thought you didn't know. I just remembered and was making sure."

Gabby stopped chopping and turned to look at Matt. "Matt, you don't have to keep apologizing for everything you say. If you say something that offends me or hurts me i'll tell you. I promise."

"Okay."

The two of them continued making dinner. It took a little longer because the two of them kept joking around but in the end made it with the kitchen only being a little more messy than usual. While waiting for the chili to be ready, Gabby showed Matt a few more pages in her scrapbook since he kept insisting. Afterwards they both sat down at the dining table and began to have dinner.

"This has to be the best dish I've ever had. This is amazing. I'll give you a ten chef Gabby." Matt said after he had finished his plate.

Gabby blushed and smiled at him. "Well lucky for you there's enough leftover for you to have tomorrow. I am seriously jealous of you right now. I can't wait to make it again and be able to eat it after I give birth."

"Speaking of the baby, have you thought of what you want to do for the nursery?" Matt asked.

"Well so far I only know that I want to paint the room a beige color. As far as the furniture and everything else I have no idea." Gabby admitted.

They both stood up and began cleaning up the dining table. "What if I build the furniture for you?"

Looking from scrubbing the dishes, Gabby shook her head. "Matt, no. I can't ask you for that."

Matt shrugged. "You're not asking i'm offering. If I'm living here with you might as well help you somehow. You could save money if I build the furniture and use it to buy something else for the baby."

"Okay fine." Gabby caved. "But only if I get to pay for the materials you need."

"Deal." Matt grinned. "Hey, I know this is none of my business, but, how come the father of your baby isn't here?"

Gabby felt her eyes water, she wiped her hands on the hand towel and turned around to look at Matt, wondering what she was going to say. "He uh, he didn't want anything to do with me or the baby."

Matt's brows furrowed in anger. "Just so you know, if he decides to show up and claim he was scared or any other bullshit, i'm going to kick his ass."

Before she even realized what was happening, she was rushing into Matt's arms which he wrapped tightly around her. "Thank you." Even though she knew that story was a lie, knowing he would protect her made her feel happy and almost like she had him back.

"I'm here for you, Gabby. I might not remember you, but I do know that I care about you and i'm here for you." Gabby raised her head from his chest and looked up at him. He was staring directly into her eyes, letting her know that he wasn't lying. When she felt his gaze go from her eyes to her lips she took a step back.

"Well, it's been a long day. I'm gonna go take a shower and probably head to bed."

A little confused, Matt nodded. "Okay, I'm gonna stay up and work on a little project."

"Alright don't stay up too late."

"Yes, mom." Matt grinned back at her.

"Real funny, Matt." Gabby smiled and walked to her room.

Matt also went to his room and took out the sketchbook he had found in one of the drawers of the dresser. He had taken a look at it before and found sketches of projects he assumed he was going to do or has done. Flipping to a new page, he began sketching various designs for a crib. His hand moved skillfully around the page, the crib coming to life as he sketched. Before he even realized it, half an hour had gone by and he had not only drawn sketches for a crib but also for a changing table and a rocking chair. Satisfied with his drawings, he set the sketchbook on top of the dresser and went to get ready for bed.

The next morning Gabby was up bright and early. She had decided she was going to clear out the second guest room to begin seeing how much space she had for the nursery. But first she began making breakfast for her and Matt. Gabby had finished making breakfast and was about to eat when she realized Matt still hadn't come out of his room. Worried, she went over to his bedroom door and knocked.

"Matt, are you okay?" A few seconds later the door opened and he stood in front of her.

"Yeah, sorry, I might've stayed up a little later than I expected to." He said sheepishly.

Gabby smiled, relieved. "It's okay. I was just making sure you were alright."

They both ate breakfast and when they finished, Matt excused himself to grab his sketchbook. "This is why I stayed up late last night."

Gabby grabbed the sketchbook and gasped as she looked at the drawings. She had seen Matt's drawings before but these were breathtaking. The crib she had fallen in love with had the most details. On the railings it had leaves drawn on it which she assumed he was going to carve into it. The back of the crib he had labeled it 'name', Gabby assumed he was also going to carve the baby's name into it once she has chosen one, it also had flowers drawn around it. The sides of the crib also had flowers drawn on it.

"I think we found a winner." Matt stated as he watched Gabby's gaze remain on one of the drawings. He had to admit it was his favorite too.

"This is beautiful, Matt. I just feel bad that I fell in love with one that's probably going to require the most work." Gabby let out a watery laugh.

Matt shrugged. "It'll be worth it in the end. Do you like the changing table and rocking chair like that? I could make it look like the crib so everything matches."

Gabby shook her head. "No, those are perfect just the way they are. I want the crib to stand out and be the main focus of the room."

"Well of course it has to be the main focus, it's where the princess will be sleeping." Matt grinned, causing Gabby to laugh. "So what are you doing today?"

"I was wondering if you would help me with cleaning out the other guest room? If you insist on building the furniture you'll need to see how big they should be and so I can visualize where I want things to go."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, of course. I need to make sure you aren't going to lift anything you shouldn't be lifting. Is it just going to be us two?"

"Do you mind if I call Kelly and Shay to ask if they want to help as well?"

"Why are you asking me? They're your friends." Matt frowned.

Gabby blushed. "I know, I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I'll give them a call."

Matt began cleaning up the table and washed the dishes while Gabby called Shay and Kelly. As soon as he was done, so was Gabby.

"Thanks for cleaning up. They'll be here in about half an hour. We can start now instead of waiting for them to come. I have a lot of stuff in that room just so you know." Gabby warned.

"I'm sure it can't be that much. I'm sure those people on TV who have an obsession with collecting things have more stuff." Matt huffed.

Gabby opened the room and Matt froze as he looked around. There was a wall with boxes stacked all the way up to the top and decor pieces were up against one wall and scattered throughout the floor. In all, it was way more than he had been expecting.

"Not to judge, but, did you move to a smaller place or did you go on a shopping spree and just tossed everything in here?"

"I moved into a smaller place." She lied. "I know it sounds crazy because most people want more space in their places. It just started feeling really lonely and too big for just me plus I was paying way too much. I got lazy to hang some of the bigger pieces and hung pictures instead after I got tired of looking at bare walls. The smaller pieces I just couldn't find a place for."

The real reason why she had so many decor pieces and a lot of stuff in that room wasn't because she moved to a smaller place. In reality, she had moved in with Matt. After she moved in with him, she put a lot of her books and other small knick knacks she would keep in her old place into boxes and decided they weren't necessary and kept them there. Some of the decor pieces were supposed to be hung throughout the apartment but because of their busy lives they never got around to it. Instead, she began filling up the walls with pictures because she started hating the bare walls. Some of those boxes contained some of Matt's things that he had put away when Gabby moved in. He had told her he wanted the place to feel like it was theirs everywhere and not just in the bedroom. Now, Gabby hoped Matt wouldn't go through any of the boxes that had any of his stuff because then she would have a bigger problem.

"Well, I guess that explains it. Now we just have to tackle everything here before we get to those boxes." Matt gestured to the stuff in front of the boxes.

They began clearing out the room, taking a few breaks every now and then so Gabby could have a breather or sit down when needed. Shay and Kelly showed up half an hour later while they were just finishing up everything that wasn't in boxes. Luckily, they had brought food and beer with them because Matt and Gabby were beginning to feel hungry. A few hours later the room was now empty and Gabby was happy and teary eyed because now she could imagine what the nursery would look like.


	7. Chapter 7

A few weeks later Gabby was off shift and was returning from buying groceries and some stuff for the baby she had found and couldn’t resist. She started putting the groceries away and walked to the room which Matt had been painting. As soon as Gabby pushed the door open and took a few steps in, Matt immediately turned around and gently pushed her out of the room. 

“Sorry, Gabs, you know the smell is bad for the princess.” He smiled and went back to painting. Gabby had noticed Matt getting more and more protective as her belly grew. At times it annoyed her but other times she felt warm and happy knowing he cared so much.  

“You know, I forgot to tell you but I think I remembered something else.” Matt began, halting his painting. “I had a dream about your first day I think. I remember you walking up the driveway, meeting all the guys and how you instantly connected with Shay.”  

Gabby grinned. “Yeah. God I was so nervous and worried about how I would fit in. I’m glad I got put at 51.” 

“There’s something else though. In my dream, I mentioned someone named Hallie. Who is she?” 

The small smile that was on Gabby’s face fell. She knew Matt would remember her but now that he had, she wasn’t sure what to say. She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall for support. “Hallie was your ex-fiancé. You guys were engaged when I first came to 51 and had been together for about ten years now. A few months after, you both split. She wanted to focus on her residency at Lakeshore and you wanted to start a family. You got back together and tried to work it out. One day we got a call for a massive pile up, one woman was on her way to the hospital to give birth but her baby was crowning already. You helped deliver her baby and you were so happy. I don’t know much about what happened, but that night you went home and came back the next shift saying you and Hallie had split up again. A few weeks later we were called to the clinic where she worked. You found her in a room unresponsive and with burns on her arms and neck. When we got to the hospital, they declared her dead. The report came back saying someone had killed her and then started the fire to cover up their tracks.”

Matt now had tears in his eyes and Gabby went over to him and pulled him into a hug. In that moment she didn’t care about the fumes of the paint, she knew a few moments in the room wouldn’t cause much damage. “Did she suffer? When they killed her?”

“No, whatever they hit her head with killed her instantly.” 

“Okay.” He nodded. Matt went back to touching up the areas that needed paint and Gabby went to her room where she grabbed her laundry basket to start on laundry, knowing Matt needed a few moments alone. She had been so busy lately that she completely forgot about it until yesterday morning when she saw she had only one clean uniform left. After she started the laundry machine, she was walking to the kitchen when she heard something fall. 

“Matt?” Gabby called out but got no response. She walked down the hall quickly and found Matt on the nursery floor seizing. “Matt!” She took her phone out and quickly dialed 911, she gave her address and Matt’s badge number and told them to get here quickly. 

At firehouse 51, Shay and Chout both stood up when the alarm called for them, but Shay froze when she heard the address. “Kelly!” She yelled, but he was already heading out with the rest of squad 3. When they arrived, Kelly immediately ran inside, breaking the door down knowing Gabby would be at Matt’s side. 

“Gabby! Matt!” He called out. 

“In here!” Gabby yelled. Kelly walked to where her voice came from and froze at the sight. Gabby had an unconscious Matt cradled in her arms and tears running down her face. 

“What happened?” Shay asked, looking over Matt and hooking him up to fluids. 

Gabby watched closely, her hand still holding onto his. “I don’t know. I was putting in a load of laundry when I heard something and I came in here, found him on the ground seizing. He passed out a few seconds before Kelly came in here.” They loaded Matt in the back of the ambo and Gabby jumped, Kelly and his crew following behind them. “This is my fault.” 

“No, it’s not!” Shay told her sternly. “You and I both know seizures are common in people who have suffered from an epidural hematoma.”

“I was telling him about Hallie. He told me he had a dream about my first day at 51 and how he had mentioned Hallie. He asked me about her and I told him everything and a few minutes later he was having a seizure how is that not a coincidence?” Gabby cried. 

“Stop.” A mumble came from beside them. Shay and Gabby immediately turned to him. 

“Matt? Can you hear me?” Shay asked, shining a light into his eyes. 

“Gabby stop. Not good for princess. S’not your fault.” He mumbled again. 

Gabby chuckled. “Matt you just had a seizure and you’re more worried about princess?” 

“I’ll be fine. Princess is more important.” Matt used all the strength he could and squeezed Gabby’s hand reassuringly. 

They arrived at Med and wheeled him into the emergency room, Shay reading off his stats before he was taken. Gabby went to the waiting room and sat down as she was feeling a little winded. Normally she’d be up and about pacing while waiting for news, but Matt was right. Their baby was more important and she couldn’t live with herself if something happened to her. Kelly and Shay joined her a few moments later, patting her shoulder reassuringly. 

“So, just to be clear, this baby’s name isn’t princess right?” Shay asked after a few minutes. 

Gabby laughed. “No. Matt’s been calling her that ever since we started working on the nursery and now it’s what we call her since we don’t have a name.” 

“Oh, thank god.” Shay breathed out, relieved. “I was about to write an entire essay on why that name choice is terrible and you know how much I hated writing essays while in school. So, Matt had a dream about your first day?” 

“Yeah, he’s been remembering a little more lately. He knows his mom’s name but hasn’t remembered much about her. The other day I made arroz con pollo picante and he said the name sounded familiar. And now he remembered my first day and now he knows a little about Hallie.” 

“See, I told you he would remember. Just give it time.” Severide said. A few minutes later their radios called for them and they gave Gabby a hug before leaving. About half an hour passed before the doctor finally came out and Gabby stood up.

“How is he?” 

The doctor cleared his throat. “The seizure didn’t cause any damage, everything came back clear. Seizures are common with patients who suffered from an epidural hematoma. I’ve prescribed him some anti seizure medicine that he’ll have to take once a day.” 

“Are these going to be a recurring thing now? Will he still be able to go back to firefighting?” Gabby asked, worried about how it would affect his career. 

“Yes, with the medicine the seizures should disappear. We did an MRI scan that will show the area of the brain that caused the seizures, the medication will take care of that. He will be on it for about a month and in a month we’ll schedule him for another MRI that will tell us whether or not the medicine worked.” The doctor explained. “I can take you to see him now if you’d like.” 

Gabby followed the doctor further into the ER where Matt sat watching a show. She stood at the door for a moment, remembering the last time she had seen in the emergency room he had been covered in wires and tubes and was on the brink of death. 

“—abby?” She blinked out of the memory and stepped into the room. 

“Sorry, it’s just uh, the last time you were here you were covered in tubes and wires and taken into emergency surgery.” 

Matt smiled sadly. “Well, today I am not covered in wires and tubes and I am not being taken into surgery. I’m okay, so stop worrying. When can I go home? I need to continue working on princess’ palace.” 

“You are going to go home and rest. We’ve had enough action for today.” Gabby replied firmly. 

“Noo, mom.” Matt whined to which Gabby shoved his shoulder lightly. 

A knock on the doorway sounded and the doctor stepped inside. “Alright, Mr. Casey. Your MRI results came clear. You had no side effects from the seizure. I have prescribed you some anti seizure medication which you are to take everyday for a month. After that month is up you will be scheduled for a second MRI. With that said, you are free to go, if you could just sign your release forms. You should be able to continue on with your day just as normal although you may feel a bit drowsy from the IV fluids.” Matt signed the papers and waited for nurses to disconnect him from the machines before walking out with Gabby. 

“Will I still be able to go back to firefighting?” Matt asked as Gabby drove back to the apartment. “I forgot to ask the doctor.” 

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have seizures after this and your next MRI will tell you if you are clear.” Gabby told Matt who sighed with relief. 

“Hey, the other day I thought of something. You love scrapbooks right? Why don’t we make one for your pregnancy? I can be your stand in boyfriend or husband for the cute couple photos.” 

Gabby thought about it and then smiled. Matt’s offer of being her stand in for the couple pictures was a great idea because even if he didn’t know it yet, when he finally did, he would still be included in all of the pictures. “That’s probably one of the best ideas you’ve had since I've known you. Let’s make a quick detour and buy some supplies.”

They ended up buying a lot more things than needed. Mainly being more stickers than anyone would need in their lifetime. Matt was like a little kid at the store. He would point at everything and throw things in the cart before Gabby had even seen what it was. She knew she shouldn’t even try to look at it because she would give in to anything baby related. An hour later they were walking out of the craft store with a bunch of supplies but both had smiles on their faces and were excited to start their project. When they arrived at the apartment, they spread all of the supplies out on the dining table. 

“So, what now?” Matt asked after they stared at the supplies for a few seconds. 

“Well, now I need to go and print out pictures which lucky for you I took pictures of my stomach each week so we can stick them on.” 

Matt waved a hand dismissively. “Oh please, every pregnant woman takes a picture of their stomach each week.” 

Gabby chuckled and went to print out the pictures, looking at each of them fondly as she realized how much her stomach had grown. She took them back out and handed them over to Matt who had already been laying things out on the pages waiting for her approval. Afterwards, they wrote on the little chalkboard they had bought announcing they were having a baby and had a little impromptu photo shoot out on Gabby’s balcony which was decorated nicely and contained a view of the city. Once they had gotten a few pages done, Gabby was beyond happy at how they had turned out. She reached over and hugged Matt, a few happy tears slipping out. When she pulled away, she was surprised to see Matt bend down a press a kiss to her belly, rubbing his hand gently over it. 

“It makes me happy knowing that I’m here making you and princess happy, being able to help you through this and make it as exciting as I can. It makes me feel like I belong again and less like a burden.” Matt confessed. 

Gabby reached out and squeezed Matt’s hand tightly. “You were never a burden, Matt. I was so scared I was going to lose you today. I thought I was going to have to go through this pregnancy alone.” 

Matt squeezed Gabby’s hand back and shook his head. “I’m okay, Gabs. That’s all that matters. I’m here, alive and breathing. We made a scrapbook and I didn’t even know how to make one before this.” 

Gabby laughed and gave Matt a smile and a pat on his hand that covered hers. “Hey, Shay asked if I wanted to go do some shopping with her once she was off shift. Kelly offered to come over so you wouldn’t be alone.” She stood up and grabbed the scrapbook and displayed it on a shelf from the bookcase they had in the living room. 

“That sounds great. What time would they be coming?” Matt asked as he began putting the craft pieces back into its packages and into the shopping bag. 

“Their shift ended at 2, I think. They should be coming over soon.” Gabby replied. “Matt.” 

“Yeah?” He turned to face Gabby, noticing how she suddenly looked nervous. 

“Will you come with me to my 16 week checkup next week?” 

“Of course. I’ll go with you to all your check ups.” Matt smiled at her and went over to give her a hug. He then bent down so he was at eye level to her small bump. “Hey, princess. It’s Matt, mommy’s friend. I may still not remember your mommy completely but I know she loves you so much and can’t wait to meet you. Just remember to be nice to her while you’re in there. She’s keeping you nice and warm in this Chicago winter.” 

Gabby had tears in her eyes as she listened to Matt. When he stood up he looked at her and frowned. “I’m a pregnant hormonal woman right now so don’t judge me if seeing you talk to her makes me cry.” 

Matt chuckled and raised his hands as if surrendering. “No judging here.” 

A knock on the door sounded and both of them turned around. “That’s probably Shay and Kelly.” Gabby said as she went to open the door. 

“Hey, girl.” Shay greeted and hugged Gabby. “I hope you have a ton of energy because we are about to make these stores run out of merchandise.” 

“I surely hope not because Gabby already had an entire home decor store in the nursery room.” Matt piped in as he greeted Shay and Kelly. 

Gabby shoved Matt playfully. “Hey, don’t judge. We’ll be back in a few hours, feel free to grab whatever from the kitchen. There’s a spare key in the kitchen drawer by the sink if you two decide to go out.” 

Matt pulled Gabby in for a hug and let go after a few seconds. “Be careful and try not to buy too many things. You still have a lot more time to go shopping.” 

“He seems a lot more comfortable around you now.” Shay pointed out once they were in the car. 

“Yeah. He’s been hugging me a lot lately. He did something different today though. He talked to the baby.” 

Shay gasped and turned to look at her. “Really? That’s good isn’t it?” 

A goofy smile spread on Gabby’s face. “It felt amazing, actually. He’s going to be a great father to our baby. This morning he definitely gave me a scare though.” 

“How have you been? You know being pregnant and all.” 

Gabby groaned. “Shay, I have never been so sexually frustrated in my life before. I’m supposed to be like this for the next few weeks if not the entire pregnancy  according to my pregnancy tracker app.” 

Shay cackled. “Gabriela Dawson sexually frustrated? Is Casey that good? I get you’re pregnant so your hormones are a little wack but c'mon. I’ve seen you go months without having a guy in your life and you’ve been just fine.” 

A blush arose on her cheeks at Shay’s indication of her and Matt’s sex life. “Okay, yes, I miss being intimate with my fiancé. I’d be worried if I didn’t miss it.” 

They caught each other up with how everything was going so far since they didn’t get to do that on shift and soon they arrived at the store. Shay took advantage and parked at the spot designated for pregnant women and ignored the glare she got from another woman when she saw that Shay wasn’t the one pregnant and then saw Gabby who’s belly wasn’t that prominent and didn’t show through her big jacket. They entered the store and Gabby felt overwhelmed at all the things she saw as she suddenly didn’t know exactly what it was she needed. Shay didn’t notice and immediately dragged her over to the baby clothes. 

“Okay, I'm warning you now. This baby is going to have more clothes than both of us have combined.” Shay admitted. 

“Shay!” Gabby exclaimed. “I don’t even think the closet in that room is big enough to hold my clothes!” 

“Well you better find somewhere to store all the clothes because I suddenly want to buy everything.” 

“We are going to be here all day.” Gabby sighed. 

Back at the apartment, Kelly and Matt sat on the couch watching an old Black Hawks game. “So how’s the nursery coming along?” Kelly asked after a few moments of silence. 

“So far I’ve only gotten to paint the room. I was doing some touch ups before, you know, I had that seizure. You can come take a look.” Matt stood up and led Kelly to the nursery. Despite him being there earlier that day, he hadn’t paid much attention to the room. 

“This a good color. I knew Gabby would go for the neutrals. Don’t doubt she’ll want to make her own baby food as well.” 

Matt chuckled. “Whatever she wants, she’ll have it.” 

“That right there is a dangerous statement, man.” Kelly noticed the frown on Matt’s face as he stared at one of the walls. “What’s wrong?” 

“I don’t know. I’m happy to be here and helping Gabby. But I'm also tired of just sitting here doing nothing.” 

“What are you saying?” Kelly pushed, though he had an idea of where this was heading. 

“I want to go back to firefighting.” Matt finally admitted. 

Kelly sighed. “Matt—”

“I know what you’re going to say. I could wait until my memories come back but I don’t know how long that’s going to take. I’ll go through everything all over again. If I have to sit through the fire academy classes all over again I will. I just want to go back to my old life. I thought about maybe doing construction instead, but it doesn’t feel the same. I looked at my uniform and I know that’s where I want to be. I want to help save lives again.”

“Alright.” Kelly nodded. “I’m with you. We can talk to Chief Boden and see what we can do. Maybe there’s a way you can go back without having to go through the academy again.” 

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. How are you feeling since this morning?” 

Matt sat back down on the couch, Kelly following as well. “Honestly, it’s almost like it never happened. We left the hospital and next thing you know Gabby and I are at the craft store buying things for a scrapbook.” 

Kelly laughed and shook his head. The two friends spent the rest of the day talking and watching sports games. When the girls came back, they entered with bags filled to the brim with baby stuff. Kelly quickly jumped up and dragged Shay out of the apartment before she could take Gabby back out shopping. 

“Make sure you tell Gabby about that idea of yours.” Kelly told Matt before leaving. 

“Just how tired was the cashier after scanning all that?” Matt grinned. 

“Oh please, once you start looking through all of this I can guarantee you will want to keep everything.” Gabby began taking everything out of one of the bags and Matt immediately felt his smile grow. 

“Okay, I can see what you mean now.” Matt said as he grabbed some of the outfits they had picked out. 

“Wait, there’s something else you need to see.” Gabby then took out a mini Chicago firefighter and paramedic outfit. “I told myself I wasn’t going to get anything related to our jobs but I just couldn’t resist.”

Matt grabbed the two clothing pieces from her and looked at them with a huge smile on his face. “This has to be the most adorable thing ever. How did you even find these?” 

“We walked into a shop and were about to walk out since we hadn’t found anything and that’s when I saw them. I just had to buy them, they were too cute not to.” Gabby gushed. 

Matt stared at the firefighter outfit a little longer and then set it down. “Gabby, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Noticing the seriousness in his tone, Gabby took a seat and set the clothes she had in her hand down. Her mind immediately going to the worst. “Yeah, what is it?”

“I was talking to Kelly earlier and I guess he noticed something was wrong and I told him about it. It has nothing to do with the baby, just so you know. I’ve been thinking about it for the past few weeks and I decided I want to try to go back to firefighting. Sitting around doing nothing isn’t really working anymore. I told Kelly I was looking at my uniform and I want to go back. I want to be out there saving lives. I don’t need my memories to save a life.” 

Gabby’s mouth opened and closed as she thought of what to say. She was terrified of Matt going back. What if he got hit in the head again and ruined his chances of getting his memories back. What if this time it actually killed him. Despite her worries, she knew she couldn't keep him coddled up in her apartment. “As much as I want to keep you here where I know you’re safe and away from the possibility of getting hit in the head again, I can’t. If that’s what you want, then I support you. I’ll be there with you helping you get through it.” 

Matt smiled softly at her and pulled her up into a hug. “Thank you.”

A few moments later, Gabby pulled away from the hug and looked at Matt in the eyes. “Just promise me you’ll be careful and will always come back to me. I can’t do this without you. Princess and I need you. I need you.” 

Matt wiped away the few tears that managed to escape Gabby’s eyes. “I promise I will be more careful and I promise to try to always come back to you.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly before pulling her to the couch. “C’mon, let’s put a movie on and go through everything you and Shay bought.” 

The next morning Matt awoke with a start, taking him a while to realize he was in the living room. He looked down and saw Gabby peacefully sleeping on his chest, a blanket strewn haphazardly on her. He reached over for the tv remote and turned it on to the news but kept the volume low. He then began to run his fingers through Gabby’s hair, smiling when he felt her relax further. Matt looked at her, taking in her features. He began to realize that he felt something for her. Them sleeping together, having her lay on his chest, it felt right. When he would kiss her belly or like when he talked to it, it felt like he was talking to his own baby. Over the past few weeks, Matt felt less like a guest staying at her apartment and more like someone who belonged there or has been living there for a long time. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Gabby stir. 

“G’Morning, what time is it?” She mumbled. 

Matt pressed a button on the tv remote and the time showed up. “It is seven in the morning.” At his words, Gabby quickly stood up. 

“I am going to be late.” Was all she muttered as she took off running to her bedroom. 

After watching Gabby take off, Matt also got up and went to take a quick shower. When he finished, Gabby was still in her room so he began to make them each a quick meal as well as some hot chocolate since it was extra cold outside. 

“Hey, you coming with me?” Gabby asked as she walked out of the room. 

“Yeah. I figured I could talk to the Chief about going back.” Matt handed Gabby the breakfast sandwich he had made for her as well as the thermos with hot chocolate in it. 

“Thank you. I’m sorry for falling asleep on you last night.” 

Matt shrugged and settled into the passenger seat of Gabby’s car. “If i’m being honest, that was probably the best sleep I've gotten in a while.” 

Gabby turned to look at him and she smiled. “I’m glad.”’

When they got to the firehouse, they both sat in the car, relishing in the warmth before stepping out in the icy cold weather. Matt gently held Gabby, wanting to make sure she wouldn’t slip the ice. The walk up the driveway was always a tough one, especially since it was a little uphill. They were about to make it inside when they both slipped on a patch of ice. Matt quickly turned Gabby so she landed on top of him and then they both started laughing. The door opened and Severide and Herrmann both stepped out and helped hem stand up. 

“You two alright?” Herrmann asked once they were inside. 

Gabby chuckled. “I’m okay, but I don’t know about Matt.” 

“I’ll be fine if I can change into warmer clothes.” He stuttered out through his trembling teeth. His shirt, jacket and jeans were soaked from taking the hit for Gabby. 

They led him over to the locker room where they knew he most likely kept clothes in his locker. Matt stared at the lock on his locker for a few seconds before he felt a pat on his shoulder. 

“Sorry, forgot about the lock.” Kelly said and went to get a cutter for the lock. 

“Wait, let me try.” Matt said with a determined tone. Gabby and Kelly both stood a few feet away from him and watched as he stared at the lock for a few more seconds before he was turning the dial. After a few long seconds, Matt pulled the lock, and to their surprise it unlocked. 

“How did you do that?” Gabby asked. 

Matt turned around and had a small smile on his face. “I don’t know. I had like this vision or something and then I put in the numbers.” Gabby rushed forward and hugged Matt while Kelly patted his back. Matt pulled away and grabbed some spare clothes he had in his locker and then went to the bathroom to change. After, he put his clothes to wash and joined everyone else in the common room. 

“Hey, Lieutenant!” Cruz greeted. “It’s too bad we didn’t record that fall, it could’ve gone viral!” 

“Yes, firehouse Lieutenant slips on ice and takes a tumble. What a great headline, Cruz!” Matt joked. 

Everyone in the room laughed. “But! You saved a pregnant woman!” Otis jumped in, motioning over to Gabby. 

“A firefighter on medical but still manages to makes a save. See that would’ve been a great video to go viral, Matt.” Gabby joined in on teasing him. 

Matt laughed and then put on a serious face. “I need to keep my tough Lieutenant rep.” The room was sent into laughter and soon Chief Boden was walking into the common room, wondering what all the noise was for. 

“Chief, you missed the best save our Lieutenant has ever done.” Mouch spoke up. “Casey and Dawson were walking up the driveway and they both slipped but luckily Casey was able to catch Dawson and her precious cargo before they could hit the ground.”

“Still saving lives, I see.” Chief Boden said, smirking over at Matt.

Matt smiled, feeling a blush rising on his cheeks. “Just doing my job, Chief. Can I speak with you privately in your office?” 

“Of course.” Boden nodded and led Matt to his office while the rest of firehouse went back to doing their usual thing.


End file.
